Nadal, in his first event since losing last month’s Australian Open final, needed only 74 minutes to rout Spanish compatriot Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2. PHOTO: REUTERS
Nadal, in his first event since losing last month’s Australian Open final, needed only 74 minutes to rout Spanish compatriot Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2 and book a date against Portugal’s 48th-ranked Joao Sousa, who eliminated 87th-rated Spaniard Albert Ramos 7-6 (8/6), 2-6, 6-3.
The tennis sensation wore elastic tape across his lower back during the match and said the injury he suffered in losing the championship match at Melbourne to Stanislas Wawrinka still nags him.
“When you get injured in the final of a Grand Slam and stop for 2 1/2 weeks, it is not easy to come back,” Nadal said.
“The back is still bothering me a little bit but I am happy with my decision to be here.”
Nadal broke Montanes three times in each set and won the final four games of the match as he improved to 3-0 all-time against his countryman, having yet to lose more than three games in any set against him. In career matches against Spaniards, Nadal is 101-15.
The sore back forced the 13-time Grand Slam champion to skip Buenos Aires last week, leaving his return for Rio, where he starts a clay-court season that he hopes will culminate in a ninth career French Open crown.
Nadal, who reached a career-high 14 finals in 2013, seeks a berth in his third consecutive final, having won at Doha in the first week of the year.
Isner escapes but injury ends Nishikori’s bid
US second seed John Isner won the last five points of a third-set tie-breaker Thursday to reach the ATP Delray Beach Open quarter-finals while an injury derailed third-seeded Kei Nishikori.
Isner, rallied to down Israel’s Dudi Sela 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), into the last eight at Delray for the third year in a row, Isner will next face US qualifier Rhyne Williams, who eliminated Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-2.
Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori, coming off his fourth career ATP title last week at Memphis, retired with a left hip injury.
The 24-year-old Asian, now coached by retired US star Michael Chang, trailed 4-2 to Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili when he pulled out of the match after 18 minutes and indicated it might be a long-term setback.
“I had been feeling it before my first match and I played through it,” Nishikori said. “But I just couldn’t do anything today. It didn’t get better. It’s going to take some time to recover.”
Nishikori helped Japan defeat Canada in a first-round Davis Cup tie earlier this month after reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open last month, losing to world number one Rafael Nadal.
Gabashvili, seeking his first title at the $474,000 event, advanced to a quarter-final against Croatian seventh seed Marin Cilic, who eliminated American Ryan Harrison 6-3, 6-4 in 74 minutes.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2014.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ