Rafael Nadal emerged victorious against Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Madrid Open, held on Saturday. The match took just over two hours, and Nadal won 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
Earlier, Nadal had lost to de Minaur in straight sets in the second round of the Barcelona Open this month, but this time, he managed to turn the tables.
The level of this match ?@RafaelNadal | @MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/xsBgRXanha
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In the first set, Nadal took the lead early on with a break of serve, but de Minaur made a comeback to even it out. Nadal eventually managed to take the set into a tie-break, where he took a 4-1 lead.
Although de Minaur fought back, Nadal converted his fifth set point to win the set. In the second set, Nadal started strongly with an early break of serve and went on to win the match comfortably.
CHILLS @RafaelNadal #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/5O9yLl53UQ
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Nadal won 71 per cent of his points from his first serve to demonstrate his dominance. Although both players hit 13 winners, de Minaur’s 33 unforced errors proved costly. Nadal looked a bit nervous in the beginning, but he regained his composure and played some outstanding shots.
In the Round of 32, Nadal will face Argentina’s Pedro Cachin, who defeated USA’s Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4.
