January 16, 2025
by Terry Maddaford
The New Zealand Herald

Rafael Nadal has used a few "get out of jail free" cards but the fans hope he has enough left to get him to tomorrow's open final.

The 17-year-old Spaniard has wowed the crowds since his late arrival at the Heineken Open.

Nadal, a big mover on the ATP circuit - he is the second 16-year-old and first since Michael Chang (in 198 to break into the tour's top 100, and the youngest since Boris Becker (in 1984) to reach the third round at Wimbledon - is destined for the top.

Since his Tuesday afternoon arrival after he and compatriot Tommy Robredo (an unseeded combination) had beaten top seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram (Israel) in the doubles final in Chennai, India, Nadal has been a young man in a hurry.

He played one "jail" card to win the first set tiebreaker en route to a straight-sets, first-round win over fourth seeded Dutchman Sjeng Schalken, and another on Wednesday night to come back from 0-5 in the second-set tiebreaker to end qualifier Mario Ancic's run.

There is no tomorrow when Nadal is on court.

"That is the way I have always played," he said after a walkover win against France's Gregory Carraz in yesterday's quarter-final.

"I play every shot like my life depends on it.

"My coach [uncle Toni Nadal] says always be aggressive. It is difficult to win if you are not aggressive.

"No matter what the situation, the best you can do is fight for every point. It is very important to believe in yourself."