Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal will face Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas in the semifinal round of the 2016 Rio Open at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Brazil.
Nadal easily advanced into the final four stage of the tournament after quarterfinal opponent Alexandr Dolgopolov retired hurt before the match with a shoulder injury. This puts the 14-time Grand Slam winner closer to winning his first ATP title this season after struggling in the previous tournaments.
Nadal has only met Cuevas twice, including last year's quarterfinal match at the Rio Open. The "King of Clay" leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head standings by 2-0 and is in a strong position to extend the win streak when they hit the clay court.
While winning tournaments seem to be Nadal's priority, the Spaniard revealed in an interview with Brazilian cable network SporTV that improving his game is also part of his bucket list at the Rio Open.
"I think my most important shot is the forehand. The backhand is also an important shot and when I play well (with it), I open the court more and have more chances," Nadal said as translated by Tennis World USA.
"In Buenos Aires [Argentina Open], my backhand lacked, so I will try to do better here [Rio Open], but I also know that lately what has been lacking in my game the most has been confidence in my forehand."
Meanwhile, Cuevas has been showing signs of competitiveness in all of his matches at the Rio Open. He won all of his matches in straight sets albeit difficulty against Argentina's Federico Delbonis, who gave the Uruguayan a hard earned semifinal slot.
However, Nadal could still prove to be too much for the world No. 45 despite the Spaniard's recent on-court struggles.
Nadal should easily win the match in straight sets and advance into the final round against the winner between Guido Pella and Dominic Thiem, who staged an upset over defending champ David Ferrer 6-3 6-2.
Watch the Rio Open 2016 semifinal round between Rafael Nadal and Pablo Cuevas live via TennisTV or the ATP's official website.
