TC Plus Match of the Day: Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem, Madrid

Tennis Channel discusses Rafael Nadal's new record for consecutive sets won on the same surface—50, on clay:

On Thursday, Rafael Nadal defeated Diego Schwartzman in the round of 16 at the Madrid Open, 6-3, 6-4. The straight-set victory means Nadal has now won 50 sets in a row on clay, which is a record for consecutive sets won on any surface. (The previous record was held by John McEnroe, who won 49 consecutive sets on carpet.)

Unfortunately for Nadal, he won't have much time to celebrate that accomplishment. The world No. 1 must instead face world No. 7 Dominic Thiem for a spot in the semifinals of this tournament. And despite Nadal's recent dominance on clay, a win against the Austrian is far from a guarantee.

Thiem is believed by many to be the second-best clay-court player in the world, and he is in line to become the first whenever Nadal decides to call it a career. The 24-year-old Austrian has reached the semifinals of the French Open in each of the last two years, and he has also defeated Nadal on clay—less than 12 months ago, in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open in Rome.

Match point from Nadal's record-breaking win over Schwartzman in Madrid:

Another thing that may play to Thiem's advantage is that he is a bit more battled-tested coming into Friday's quarterfinal. The Austrian faced a solid player in Borna Coric on Thursday, and he fought back from a set down to win, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. The start of the match wasn't necessarily kind to Thiem, but he settled in nicely and started to put on a shot-making display once the second set began.

All that said...let's remember that Nadal just obliterated Thiem, in the quarterfinals of a Masters tournament, only a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo. On that day, Rafa rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 win. He also trounced Thiem last year at Roland Garros, again with a bagel set, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. Above all, he knows that if he is playing his best, there is absolutely nobody that can beat him on clay.

If Thiem merely takes a set against Nadal, that may feel like a victory in and of itself. For halting the Spaniard's 21-match winning streak on the surface (there's that, too), feels like too tall an order at this time. Thiem may one day rule on clay, but that doesn't seem like it'll be happening anytime soon, as Nadal is seemingly getting stronger with age.

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