Rome: Rafael Nadal defeated America’s John Isner 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round of the ongoing Italian Open on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old Nadal came into the game after a loss to 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal of the Madrid Open.
After a first-round bye, the veteran improved to 44-0 in matches on clay following a defeat on the surface.
Nadal is next set to lock horns with Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian he defeated at the same stage in a gruelling three-set comeback victory in 2021 where the Spanish player saved two match points.
The match swung in Nadal’s favour in game eight, when Nadal broke veteran world number 27, Isner, before serving out to take the first set.
From there Nadal cruised to victory, dropping just 14 points on his way to set up a third-round clash with Denis Shapovalov.
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