Rafael Nadal had to fight in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells 2019. The Spaniard reached his tenth semi-final in Indian Wells after beating Karen Khachanov 7-6 7-6 in two hours and 17 minutes. Karen had pushed Rafa to the limit at last year’s US Open, and he did it again in the desert before the top-ranked player dropped him for the sixth time in as many meetings.In this way, Rafa set the 39th meeting against his great rival Roger Federer in a battle for a place in the final. Nadal had 25 winners and 16 unforced errors, and Khachanov followed with 36 winners and 32 unforced errors. Karen built up a huge advantage in the shorter range of up to four shots, and Rafa erased that disadvantage in the midrange and longer rallies to emerg …