With what animal did Diego Schwartzman compare Rafael Nadal, after falling in the quarterfinals of the US Open

NEW YORK.-
Diego Schwartzman He could have been the smallest player in 25 years to reach the semifinals of the
US Open, but the big fight he gave to
Rafael NadaHe did not reach to achieve it.

The Spanish beat him 6-4, 7-5 and 6-2 and eliminated him from Flushing Meadows. However, the relationship between the two is very good (they usually train together) and the praise was swift.

"He is a fighter. He knows how to play the important moments every time. I played against him eight times, and every important moment he played better than me," said the Peque, who also compared to number 2 of the ATP ranking with a wild animal: " Facing him is like doing it against a lion in the middle of the jungle. "

After the defeat of Roger Federer and the injury withdrawal of Novak Djokovic, the champion of the 2018 edition, Nadal's path to his fourth US Open trophy. UU. He cleared himself of habitual obstacles against the larger ones. But Schwartzman reminded Rafa last night that danger can lurk everywhere, including an opponent he had defeated in the previous seven games and had only lost two sets.

"I made some mistakes, of course, but I am very happy with the way I faced the challenge," said the Mallorcan, who needed almost three hours to dispatch the player trained in Nautical Hacoaj. Then he added: "I keep moving forward point by point and here I am in the semifinals and that is very important to me. It means everything."

Rafa also highlighted the work of Peque: "He is one of the best players in the world and, when he plays well, he can beat anyone. It was a difficult game and I am very happy for the victory."

In one of the semifinals, Nadal will now face Italian Matteo Berrettini, who beat Frenchman Gael Monfils 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5).