Nadal returns from injury with straight-sets win at Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal started well after his injury recovery, beating Miomir Kecmanovic by two sets to reach round three at the Madrid Open.
Nadal was a confident player in his home opener, winning 6-1, 7-6 (4). He won the first set easily and then recovered in the second, after losing his serve twice following a rain interruption.
While the win took almost two hours, it was fast enough that Nadal could watch Real Madrid’s Champions League match Wednesday night in Madrid. Tournament organizers saidNadal asked to be played in the afternoon so that his match with Manchester City’s semifinal would not occur.
Nadal, a Madrid fan, gave Saturday’s ceremonial kickoff at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. This was before the team won the Spanish league title against Espanyol.
Rafa’s defense is off the charts today 📈<a href=”https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@RafaelNadal</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/MutuaMadridOpen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@MutuaMadridOpen</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MMOPEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MMOPEN</a> <a href=”https://t.co/vms9TNcza4″>pic.twitter.com/vms9TNcza4</a>
—@atptour
After suffering a stress fracture in his ribs, the fourth-ranked Nadal was out of action for almost 45 days. This had halted his fantastic start to the season. He won his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Nadal: “Coming back from injury, I always need to be able to play many matches in order to regain my best form,” said. “Winning is very important to build my confidence.”
Nadal was enjoying cruising when he was injured in Indian Wells’ semifinals. He lost to Taylor Fritz in the final, his first loss of the season. Nadal was unable to attend tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Miami.
Looking for 1st Madrid title after 2017
Third-seeded Nadal was lowering his expectations of winning the sixth Madrid Open title. This is his first title since 2017.
Nadal could meet Carlos Alcaraz (Spanish teenage sensation), in the quarter-finals. A semifinal against Novak Djokovic, who is ranked No. 1, or an ex-No. 1 player would be against Nadal. 1 Andy Murray.
Nadal and Djokovic will share a record 37 Masters 1000 title titles if Nadal wins Madrid.
Zverev, Norrie advance
Alexander Zverev, the defending champion, defeated Marin Cilic 4-6.6-4.6-4. This set up a third round encounter with Sebastian Korda in America.
Zverev, who is third in the rankings, is aiming for his first season-ending title. In the Monte Carlo semifinals, he lost to Stefanos Tisipas. Zverev was also crowned Madrid champion in 2018.
Qualifier Dusan Ljovic defeated fifth-seeded Casper Ruud 7-6(7), 2-6 and 6-4, while Cameron Norrie, ninth-seeded, defeated American John Isner 66-4, 6-7(5), 6-4.
Daniel Evans took nearly three hours to beat 17th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-3, 5-7 and 7-6 (2).
Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime, seeded eighth in the world, will take on unseeded Frenchman Cristian Gain in the second round action later Wednesday.
Halep is eliminated as the 2-time champion
Ons Jabeur, eighth-seeded, reached the semifinals of WTA 1000 women’s by defeating Simona Halep (two-time Madrid champion) 6-3 and 6-2.
“It’s not easy to play Simona,” saidJabeur, who lost to Halep at Dubai earlier in the year. “Really happy that I got my revenge. I can see the improvement in my game as well as in other areas. I hope to be able to keep this level of play for the rest of my matches.”
Halep ranked 21st had 20 unforced mistakes and only eight winners.
Jabeur will next play Ekaterina Alexandrova. She defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4 and 6-3.
SourceCBC Sports
