Rafael Nadal defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 6-4 to reach his first final at the Rogers Cup since 2013. Speaking about his achievement, Nadal said: 'I am satisfied with the week. Arriving here for me it was difficult to imagine that I would be in the final. So great news. Happy about everything. Of course I can play little bit better, but that's the work of every day. And all the matches helps to improve my game, and I believe that I can do it. I did a lot of things well in the whole season. Tomorrow is a day to play a great match against a very tough opponent. And I hope to be ready for it.' Analyzing Khachanov's qualities, Nadal said: 'He's a great server. Big shot from the baseline. He has especially great backhand and he can hit the forehand very strong too. It's true with the forehand sometimes he have mistakes too, but he plays very aggressive and he hit the ball very strong. I need to resist and play aggressive. When I was able to move him, I think I was a little bit more on the control. But it's difficult to make that happen because he hit the ball very strong.' About his next opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nadal said: 'He has everything. He's young. Has passion for the game. He has a great forehand, great backhand, good serve. So he's not about one thing. He's about everything. These kind of matches you need to play very well to win, and that's what I'm going to try.' ALSO READ: Younger players vs Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal: Anderson makes comparison<doc-sep>An all-time leader having won ATP Masters 1000 Thirty-Two (32) times, top seed and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal will be a strong favorite to win an unprecedented 33rd ATP Masters 1000 title against three other semi-finalists all of whom will be eyeing their 1st ever ATP Masters 1000 final. Nadal will look to get one step closer to add to his 3 previously won titles at this very tournament, last of which was won in 2013. He will face 22-year old from Russia, Karen Khachanov, who will be playing his first ever ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final. The top seed Nadal will be full of confidence, after his comeback win over 2014 US Open Champion Marin Cilic in Quarterfinals (2-6, 6-4, 6-4) and also winning against old foe Stan Wawrinka in the 3rd round in a thrilling high-quality and close match 7-5, 7-6(4). On the other hand, World No. 38, Khachanov, who is guaranteed to reach a career-high ATP ranking of 26 after this tournament will be brimming with confidence having reached the semi-final stage without dropping a single set. Previous Meetings The two players have met three times against each other with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal coming out on top on all three occasions without dropping a single set. Out of the three meetings, one has been on Hard Court in 2017 in Bejing China where Nadal beat Khachanov 6-3, 6-3. The two players last met in Round of 16 of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo in 2018 where Nadal trounced Khachanov 6-3, 6-2. Expected Result The top seed is expected to win this match easily compared to his last two rounds, however, a semi-final can never be expected to be an easy match especially when the opponent has been playing some good tennis to reach to this round and Nadal will be wary of this fact. Predicted Score: 6-3, 6-4<doc-sep>
It will be Kevin Anderson and Stefanos Tsitsipas to open the schedule on Centre Court on Saturday. Both of them are seeking their first Masters 1000 final ever, Anderson is on his second attempt after semifinals loss to Dominic Thiem at this year's Madrid. Tsitsipas had never gone so far in a such tournament level, and leads head to head meetings 1-0 as in Estoril, on clay, earlier this year he prevailed over Anderson in three sets. That win came just after reaching his first ATP career-final at the Barcelona Open, he had lost to the Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Tsitsipas is coming from three wins in a row over top 10 players - Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev - now beating also the world No. 6 would be amazing. In the night session Nadal faces the Russian Karen Khachanov for the fourth time in career. The 32-year-old defeated Khachanov at 2017 Wimbledon and Beijing, 2018 Monte Carlo, always in straight sets. Khachanov managed to win at least four games in the same set against Nadal only twice, both in the same match last year at the All England Club. However, this is a very different time for the 22-year-old, who is playing his first Masters 1000 semifinal. Nadal is competing in his 67th Masters 1000 semifinal, Anderson in his second, Tsitsipas and Khachanov in just their first one. This statistic says a lot about who is the favorite to lift the trophy on Sunday, Nadal, but anything can happen. ↓ SHOW SCHEDULE ↓ Centre Court - 3:00 PM: Kevin Anderson vs Stefanos Tsitsipas 8:00 PM: Rafael Nadal vs Karen Khachanov ALSO READ: Roger Federer: We will never quite know who is the GOAT