Nestor and Pospisil move on to Rio 2016 Olympic semifinals
Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil are off to the semifinals in men’s doubles at Rio 2016.
The Canadians defeated Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi in straight sets on Tuesday, 6-3, 6-1. The quarterfinal victory moves Nestor and Pospisil into the final four.
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Team Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil compete against Portugal in the men’s second round of doubles tennis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday August 8, 2016. COC Photo/David Jackson
This is the second Olympic Games that the two have teamed up in after playing together in London 2012. Nestor, who won gold in doubles at Sydney 2000, is seeking his second Olympic medal while Pospisil is looking for his first.
Up 4-3 in the first set on Tuesday, Nestor and Pospisil broke the Italians to take a 5-3 advantage. The Canadians went on to win the set 6-3, dropping only two points on their serve.
In the second, the Canadians wasted little time breaking Fognini and Seppi to go up 2-1 and then 4-1. After taking a 5-1 advantage, Nestor and Pospisil then broke the Italians again to win the set 6-1.
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The Canadians had a tough opening match at Rio 2016 against New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus on Sunday. After dropping the first set 6-4, the two rebounded with a 6-3 victory in the second. In the third set, Daniell and Venus went up 5-4 and 6-5 but could not secure the match win. Nestor and Pospisil then went on to win a hard fought tie break 8-6.
On Monday, Nestor and Pospisil broke Portugal’s Gastao Elias and Joao Sousa twice to quickly go up 4-0 in the opening set, going on to take it 6-1. The Canadians broke the Portuguese in the first game of the second set and went on to win 6-4, taking the match in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and Gaby Dabrowski had their Rio 2016 doubles tournament come to an end on Tuesday, falling to the Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova 7-6(4), 6-2, 4-6.
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Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard (left) and Gaby Dabrowski in action at Rio 2016 on August 9, 2016. (David Jackson/COC)
Safarova and Strycova have had an impressive run in Rio so far, defeating Serena and Venus Williams in the first round.
Bouchard and Dabrowski advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Poland’s Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Paula Kania 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 on Sunday.
