Rome, May 21: Rafael Nadal's incredible winning streak of 17 games in clay came to an end yesterday (May 20) when Dominic Theim of Austria beat the Spanish Tennis Superstar in the quarter-final of the Italian Open.

The 6-4 6-3 victory in Rome was a sort of revenge for Thiem, who was beaten by Nadal in the Madrid Open final last week.

Nadal's record on clay now reads 17-1 and Thiem becomes the first Austrian to reach the semi-final of the Rome Masters since 1996 after compatriot, Thomas Muster, who then went on to beat Richard Krajicek.

During the game, Thiem showed the world how powerful he is with his forehands by putting Nadal on the backfoot time and again.

After Thiem clinched the upset victory, Nadal met him at the net with a classy congratulations and some words of encouragement.

Nadal is a player who hardly makes an excuse when he loses. He was full of appreciation and praises for the Austrian youngster which will encourage the 23-year-old.

"He played very aggressive, hitting the ball very strong," Nadal said.

"The court here is probably the smaller on all the center courts on clay, so that makes the players who play with bigger serve and hitting the ball strong, you know, is a little bit more easier for them to see the option to hit winners.

"So he did it. He played very long. He didn't miss a lot. Played high intensity.

"In general I was not able to push him back. He had the control of the points much more times than me. That's the key of this game."

The 30-year-old, who was seeded fourth, had won consecutive claycourt tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid and was aiming for an eighth title at the Foro Italico as he prepares for the French Open in less than two weeks.

"Tomorrow I'll be in Mallorca fishing or playing golf, or another thing. I'm going to rest a little bit, I think I deserve it," said Nadal.

"Then from Monday and Tuesday I will start to prepare for Roland Garros. It's an important event for me.

"If you do things well, you have more chances in Roland Garros. I hope to play my best tennis in Roland Garros."

OneIndia News