Rafael Nadal Wins in Straight Sets to Advance to US Open Semifinal<br />.<br />Nadal advanced to his 33rd Grand Slam semifinal on Wednesday night.<br />.<br />Nadal defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.<br />.<br />But the match did not end until <br />after 12:30 a.m. EST Thursday.<br />.<br />It took more than two hours <br />to play the first two sets.<br />.<br />Nadal led 4-0 in the first set <br />before Schwartzman tied it at 4-all.<br />.<br />Nadal went up 5-1 in the second set, but Schwartzman eventually made it 5-all.<br />.<br />He's a fighter. He knows how to play the important moments, every single time. I've played him eight times and every important moment, he played better than me.<br />, Diego Schwartzman, via statement.<br />Nadal is now 8-0 in his career against Schwartzman.<br />.<br />Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have combined to win the past 11 Grand Slam finals.<br />.<br />With Federer and Djokovic both eliminated, Nadal <br />is now the heavy favorite to win the U.S. Open.
