Close calls! Nadal, Murray both squeak into Olympic semis (Yahoo Sports)

After struggling for much of his Olympic singles quarterfinal against a Brazilian opponent backed by a raucous home crowd, Rafael Nadal finally seized control by using a big backhand to set up an easy putaway at the net for a third-set service break. Perhaps wary of drawing the ire of all of those flag-waving fans, Nadal offered a rather muted reaction – none of the leaps or uppercuts or yells of ”Vamos!” he’d displayed earlier at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Nadal moved into the semifinals as he bids to add a second singles gold to the one he earned for Spain in 2008, handling a hostile environment and coming back to beat 54th-ranked Thomaz Bellucci 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday.