Nadal reaches 1st semifinal in 2 years after marathon quarterfinal in Bastad

BASTAD, Sweden (AP) — Rafael Nadal advanced to his first semifinal in two years after a four-hour quarterfinal at the Nordea Open on Friday.

Nadal fought past 36th-ranked Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-5. Nadal led 5-2 in the deciding set.

"I lost for some moments my concentration, but I was able to hold physically until the end," Nadal said in an on-court interview. "That is so important for me. Let's see how I am tomorrow, but today I am alive and in the semifinals."

The 38-year-old Nadal is playing his first tournament since losing in the French Open first round to prepare for the Paris Olympics on clay at Roland Garros.

In his first semifinal since 2022 Wimbledon, Nadal will face Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic on Saturday.