Gamewatch: Nieminen v Nadal

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Wimbledon quarter-final result:

J NIEMINEN Fin 22 v R NADAL Sp 2

3-6 4-6 4-6

Interview: Rafael Nadal

Wimbledon highlights: Day 10

GAME-BY-GAME UPDATES

By Phil Harlow

Third set:

"Nadal was the better player on the day - he truly deserves this win."
BBC summariser Jimmy Connors

Nieminen 4-6 Nadal
Nadal goes 30-0 up, with help from a tired-looking Nieminen backhand. Nadal gives slight cause for concern with a double fault but another winner gives him two match points.

Nieminen saves the first, but a ruthless clinches the match with a volley at the net after a well-constructed point.

Nadal will take on Marcos Baghdatis in Friday's semi-final.

Nieminen 4-5 Nadal
Nieminen is determined to go down fighting as he holds to love for the first time of the match. Nadal will have to serve for his place in the final.

Nieminen 3-5 Nadal
An ace on game point takes Nadal to within one game of his first ever Wimbledon semi-final. Nieminen looks a beaten man.

Nieminen 3-4 Nadal
A hammer blow for Nieminen as Nadal earns another break of serve, thanks to his power game from the back of the court. There looks to be no way back from Nieminen from this situation - two sets and a break down to the world number two.

Nieminen 3-3 Nadal
Nadal's muscular power reasserts his authority after his struggles in his previous service game. His forehands from just inside the baseline are punishing weapons.

Nieminen 3-2 Nadal
Nieminen holds again well as he plays some of his most solid tennis of the match, including the most delicate of half volleys. Nadal does not even move as the ball slides just over the net before bouncing barely six inches off the floor.

Nieminen 2-2 Nadal
The first point of the game sees Nadal play a superb shot from fully 5m behind the baseline, a brilliant whipped forehand which creeps over the net and past an astonished Nieminen.

But Nadal lets Nieminen back to 30-30, and a driven forehand down the middle gives the Finn a break point. Nadal saves it after Nieminen goes long.

Nadal finally holds but it's been his toughest service game for some while. Meanwhile, the watching England striker Peter Crouch finds something rather amusing. Hopefully, the people sitting behind the 6ft 7in giant will still be able to see the action.

Nieminen 2-1 Nadal
Against a less belligerent opponent, Nieminen may well be two sets up rather than two sets down. The 22nd seed digs deep to hold again and plays some tidy stuff.

Nieminen 1-1 Nadal
A wild backhand from Nadal gives Nieminen an early chance, and a double fault on game point lets his opponent in a second time.

But the relentless second seed grinds through the final two points to level the third set. It's hard to see a way for Nieminen to get the break he so desperately needs.

Nieminen 1-0 Nadal
Nieminen is really up against it now. He has to save yet another break point, with a textbook serve and volley.

The Finn is not throwing the towel in though, and he recovers to hold serve.

Second set:

Nieminen 4-6 Nadal
A fired-up Nieminen goes 30-0 up, but then lets the initiative slip by his refusal to come to the net. Nadal levels at 30-30, and then comes through strongly to take a two-set lead.

Nieminen 4-5 Nadal
More trouble for Nieminen as he gifts a break to Nadal with a double fault on break point, his second double of the game.

Nieminen, munching on a banana, is visibly furious with himself for giving away the advantage to his opponent. Nadal will serve for a two-set lead in the next game.

Nieminen 4-4 Nadal
Another hold to love for Nadal. Nieminen is looking for a chink in the second seed's armour, but is finding little to go on so far.

Nieminen 4-3 Nadal
Nieminen fires in an unstoppable ace to take another service game. The 22nd seed looks much more at home on the big stage than he did in the first set. Which player will crack first in this set?

Nieminen 3-3 Nadal
Nieminen is playing well, but is struggling to really put Nadal under pressure. Nadal holds serve again, dropping just the one point. The Spaniard is relentless, and is showing absolutely no signs of fatigue.

Nieminen 3-2 Nadal
Nieminen loses his way a little, coming into the net in a rather hit-and-miss fashion. But, to be fair, the Finn quickly regathers himself as he saves two break points with some lovely serve and volley play before winning the game with an ace.

He seems to be playing his best tennis when he falls behind on the scoreboard.

Nieminen 2-2 Nadal
Nadal is unfazed by the showbiz end to the last game as he races through the game, holding to love.

Nieminen 2-1 Nadal
Nieminen plays a quite brilliant cross-court winner to go 40-15 up. He throws his arms up in celebration and takes high-fives off the crowd - the momentum is with him as he takes the next point to hold.

Nieminen 1-1 Nadal
Nadal is forced to deuce, and an increasingly aggressive Nieminen earns his first break point. Nadal saves it, then misses a remarkable attempted drop shot while running away from the ball on his own game point.

Nadal finally holds to win the longest game of the match. The set is already 18 minutes old, with just two games played.

The volume of the pair's grunts is also slowly increasing, with one lengthy rally prompting giggles from the crowd.

Nieminen 1-0 Nadal
It's not getting any easier for Nieminen. He plays well, but finds himself having to save a break point against the tireless Nadal.

He manages to salvage the point and then goes on to win the game and hold serve.

First set:

Nieminen 3-6 Nadal
In the blink of an eye, Nadal moves 40-15 up to give himself two set points and he wastes no time as he takes the first of them to go one set up.

Nieminen 3-5 Nadal
Nieminen will at least make Nadal serve for the set as he holds serve well. Nadal seems to be holding back a little, perhaps saving his energies for the next game.

Nieminen 2-5 Nadal
Nadal is starting to play some glorious tennis as he holds to love. One forehand winner down the line draws gasps of amazement from the crowd.

After the game, Nadal changes T-shirts and provokes plenty of wolf-whistles from some appreciative members of the audience. The fella has biceps like pineapples.

Nieminen 2-4 Nadal
Two backhands into the net leave Nieminen 30-0 down and he starts muttering - presumably in Finnish - under his breath, disappointed with his faltering performance.

Another mistake gives Nadal two break points, but Nieminen saves them both and then takes the next two points as well to save his serve well.

Nieminen 1-4 Nadal
Nieminen seems content to stay on the baseline at the moment, but few players can take on Nadal from there. Nadal recovers from slight trouble at 15-30 down to consolidate his break.

In between points, the umpire asks for all mobile phones to be switched off which draws a generous round of applause - why does that always happen?

Nieminen 1-3 Nadal
The first break of the match falls to the second seed. Nadal plays a brilliant point on break point, flashing a forehand winner across court and out of Nieminen's reach.

Nieminen 1-2 Nadal
At 40-0 up, Nadal benefits from a net cord. Nieminen chases it down, but in doing so gives Nadal almost the whole court to aim at to lob him.

The Finn walks towards his chair, assuming the game is over, but Nadal puts too much on the lob and Nieminen returns to the baseline. The miss seems to affect Nadal as two more errors see Nieminen close to deuce. A 20-stroke rally has the crowd engrossed again, and Nadal finally holds.

"I don't think Nadal can be happy with that game - he needs to settle down."
BBC summariser Jimmy Connors

Nieminen 1-1 Nadal
Nieminen starts promisingly as he holds serve, but the sheer power of some of Nadal's shots forces the Finn onto the back foot on a couple of occasions.

One entertaining point sees the pair both chasing balls down all over the court with the cries from the spectators becoming more high-pitched with every shot.

Nieminen 0-1 Nadal
Betraying the habits of a lifetime, Nadal comes to the net on the third point of the game. He does not look altogether comfortable so high up the court and is promptly passed down the line.

Nieminen closes to 30-30 and is clearly going to give Nadal plenty to think about, but the Spaniard holds comfortably.

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1315 BST: The BBC cameras pick up a couple both wearing hilarious tennis ball earrings. But with no big screen on Court One, they remain oblivious to their 10 seconds of fame.

1312 BST: With the players practising their serves, the umpire informs everyone we will be starting in one minute's time. We also learn that Nieminen won the toss and has chosen to receive serve in the opening game of the match.

"I see this as a clash of styles. Nadal will attack from the baseline while I can see Nieminen coming into the net."
BBC summariser Jimmy Connors

1307 BST: The players start to go through their standard pre-match knock-up routines. Nieminen, playing his first ever match on a Wimbledon show court, may well be glad of the slightly longer than usual practice time being afforded to the players.

1300 BST: Right on time, the two players - both left handers - walk out on court to a much louder and more enthusiastic round of applause. You can only hope it doesn't hurt the line judges' feelings.

1257 BST: The cream trousered/skirted line judges march on to polite applause from the crowd.

1254 BST: Court One is filling up by the minute as the fans prepare for the final men's quarter-final.

Rain delays and an epic five-setter between Jonas Bjorkman and Radek Stepanek which finished just before eight o'clock meant there was no time for this clash yesterday.

The winner of this semi-final can look forward to a semi-final clash with Cyprus' Marcos Baghdatis.