Nadal to face Kyrgios after surviving Wimbledon injury scare

LONDON: Rafael Nadal beat Taylor Fritz in a gruelling five-setter on Wednesday to set up a blockbuster Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios, but revealed that an abdomen injury almost forced him to quit mid-match. The second seed lost the first set and had to take a medical time-out in the second but raised his game to win 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10/4) in a match lasting four hours and 21 minutes. Earlier, Australian maverick Kyrgios cruised past Chile’s Cristian Garin 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5). Nadal admitted after the match that he was suffering from an abdominal problem, which forced him to leave the court. “I had to find a way to serve a little bit different,” he said. “For a lot of moments I was thinking I would not be able to finish the match but the crowd, the energy, thanks for that.” He added: “I honestly enjoy a lot playing these kind of matches in front of you guys. I can’t thank you enough for the support.” Kyrgios, ranked 40th in the world, trails Nadal 6-3 in their head-to-head meetings but he beat the Spaniard on his way to the quarter-finals in 2014 and is seen as a major threat to his hopes of reaching a sixth Wimbledon final.

A pumped-up Nadal raced out of the blocks on Center Court to take a 3-1 lead but then lost five straight games to lose the first set. The players swapped breaks in the second set but Nadal was not moving freely and when leading 4-3 he took a medical time-out. When he returned, American 11th seed Fritz served out to love, with Nadal’s movement still looking hampered. But the Spaniard twice held serve comfortably to lead 6-5 and a backhand volley into the open court sealed the second set, to roars from the crowd. Nadal, 36, was now moving more easily but the pendulum swung again