Rafael Nadal continues Olympics preparations by reaching final in Sweden

Rafael Nadal reflected on “a great feeling” after reaching his first final since the 2022 French Open.

The Spaniard rallied from a set down to beat Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic 4-6 6-3 6-4 and move through to the Nordea Open final in Bastad, Sweden.

Nadal arrived in the semi-finals following a four-hour contest with Mariano Navone on Friday, and Ajdukovic took early charge.

He was a set up and break of serve up before Nadal clicked into gear and continued his preparations for the Paris Olympics in impressive fashion.

Nadal triumphed in two hours and 13 minutes to set up a meeting with Portugal’s Nuno Borges, who defeated Argentine opponent Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3 6-4.

“I think it was a tough match. My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against,” Nadal said, on court.

“It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final.

“I have won four matches in a row, something I was not able to make happen since two years ago.

“I am fighting during the whole tournament to be where I am today, and I think matches like yesterday’s, like today’s, help to improve a lot of things on court.

“I am happy with that, and let’s see if I am able to play a little bit better tomorrow.”

At the Swiss Open in Gstaad, top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas lost in straight sets to his semi-final opponent Matteo Berrettini.

Berrettini triumphed 7-6 7-5 and will face qualifier Quentin Halys in Sunday’s final after the Frenchman saw off Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 7-6.

Halys, ranked 192 in the world, reached his first ATP Tour final, and Berrettini said of his opponent: “I saw every match that he played (this week), and I guess like me he is getting more and more confident.

“He played so many matches and won against great players. It is going to be a tough one, but I am going to be ready.”

Top seed and defending champion Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, eased into the Hamburg Open final with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Spaniard Pedro Martinez.

Zverev will meet French challenger Arthur Fils on Sunday after he overcame third seed Sebastian Baez 6-2 6-2.