Rafael Nadal Beats Diego Schwartzman, Advances to 2018 French Open Semis

Rafael Nadal booked his spot in the 2018 French Open semi-finals as he completed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Argentina's Diego Schwartzman at Roland Garros on Thursday.

The match began on Wednesday in heavy, humid conditions, and Nadal lost his first set in Paris since 2015 before turning a deficit around in the second set to lead 5-3 when rain caused the match to be suspended.

The 10-time champion levelled proceedings within minutes of the resumption on Thursday and then blitzed Schwartzman with some stupendous hitting to wrap up the quarter-final in four sets.

Spaniard Nadal will now meet either Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro in the last four as he continues his campaign for an 11th French Open title and 17th Grand Slam.

Conditions, Aggression Turn Match in Nadal's Favour

Schwartzman led 6-4, 3-2 with a break of serve on Wednesday when the rain first came down, but he was two points from losing the second set upon returning on Thursday, and Nadal duly wrapped it up in no time.

In lighter, brighter conditions, Nadal's best then came out.

His forehand was faster and more dangerous, his serve more explosive and his touch more exquisite than it had been on Wednesday. Schwartzman simply could not handle it.

In truth, no player could have.

Nadal claimed an early break in the third set as he won 12 of the first 13 points upon resumption, with Schwartzman only able to get his second point on the board with an inch-perfect lob.

The Argentinian finally found the kind of tennis that had troubled the defending champion on Wednesday in a 12-minute-plus eighth game of the third set as Nadal served for a 2-1 lead with a double break.

But despite Schwartzman producing some almost perfect tennis, Nadal still escaped.

It wasn't just the power from Nadal that broke Schwartzman's spirit, the Spaniard also regularly produced some wonderful drop-shots at crucial moments.

The fourth set was a foregone conclusion almost before it began, and Schwartzman was only able to win two games as his impressive 2018 French Open came to an end.

11th Title Beckons Despite Early Struggles

Schwartzman provided a blueprint of how Nadal might possibly be beaten on Wednesday as he hit 20 winners and earned nine break points in the opening set.

However, he also had the conditions in his favour, as the heavy atmosphere slightly took the sting out Nadal's fearsome groundstrokes and the 32-year-old was not quite at his best, per the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg:

Future opponents of Nadal at Roland Garros this year will need the same luck and sustained brilliance to trouble the champion in the semis and a potential final.

Barring such a perfect storm, though, the tournament is Nadal's to lose.

Almost the best any player can hope for at Roland Garros is to merely trouble the clay-court master, to make him slightly uncomfortable and perhaps even win a set, as Schwartzman did, before the inevitable Nadal victory comes to pass.

He has only suffered two losses ever at the French Open and, without a peak Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka to block his path, Nadal does not look like falling to a third in 2018.