Paris, November 13, 2009

Rafa Nadal has set up an exciting semifinal showdown against Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters Series event with a convincing 7-5, 7-5 win over defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga this afternoon.

As it was expected, playing with a local meant Rafa had the crowd against him from the start. He was facing a strong challenge from a powerful opponent, who not loves fast indoor courts, but also, had an extra-especial reason motivating his every move…A spot in the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month.

Tsonga got off to a storming start in front of a packed Bercy Stadium but he was unable to convert any of his 6 break-point opportunities against a man who is famously known for his ability to overcome adversity. This week only, Rafa saved five match points against Nicolas Almagro in the third round on Wednesday and narrowly escaped Tommy Robredo.

To his credit, the flamboyant, ‘Muhammad Ali-of-tennis’, put up an amazing fight against Rafa. However, it was the world No.2 who showed more composure when it mattered.

"[It] was [a] very important victory for me," said Rafa. "[It was] probably the first big victory after my comeback from the injury. So I'm very happy for that. I started the tournament playing almost terrible, and right now I'm in the semi-finals.

"I played aggressively during all the match. I went to the net a lot of times and had good volleys. I think I served really well, much better than the rest of the days. In important moments I had a few aces, so that give me a lot of confidence." 

In the semifinals tomorrow, Rafa will face Novak Djokovic. He is definitely one of the hottest players on tour, arriving in Paris fresh off of his title in Basel last week.

Their match is scheduled second on Center Court not before 2:00pm (local time). 

Vamos Rafa!