On a full stomach, Nadal roars past Kohlschreiber at Miami Open

March 27, 2017 Ricky Match recaps 46

Rafael Nadal dined on a late-afternoon bagel on Sunday. It was just the right order.

Nadal recovered from a 6-0 first set against Philipp Kohlschreiber and eventually surged past the German 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the Miami Open third round. The former world No. 1 needed one hour and 38 minutes to prevail.

“He was doing everything well,” Nadal said of his opponent’s flawless performance in the opening frame of play. “So that’s sport, as I said hundreds of times. When somebody is playing the way that he was playing…(I have to) lose the set because he was playing too good. That’s it.”

Kohlschreiber’s success did not last long.

Nadal completely dominated thereafter–especially on serve. The Spaniard dropped only three points throughout nine service games during the second and third sets. Two breaks of the Kohlschreiber serve were more than enough in set two, and just one put him across the finish line in the decider.

“I think my serve worked so [well] in the second and third set,” Nadal assessed. “The match is long, and (the0 positive thing is I [withstood] very well the pressure after a very tough first set. I think I played a great second and third set.”

Nadal’s reward is a fourth-round meeting with Nicolas Mahut in what has become an extremely favorable section of the bracket. Grigor Dimitrov lost his opening match to Guido Pella before Pella fell to Mahut on Sunday. Milos Raonic, a potential quarterfinal adversary for Nadal, withdrew due to hamstring injury prior to his scheduled third-round date with Jared Donaldson.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion is 1-1 lifetime against Mahut and they have not squared off since 2011.

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46 Comments on On a full stomach, Nadal roars past Kohlschreiber at Miami Open

  2. Mahut sure will come to this match with full of confidence knowing the fear factor that was rafa once owned is not there anymore…and Rafa also gave a signal in kohl’s match that everyone can ‘feast’ on him whenever or whichever they want it…BUT..the recipe still the same,whether they can stay mentally or physically with him for hours…if they’re can sustain their level without drop it for 3 sets then they have a chance..if not..hehe…VAMOS RAFA!!…

    Ooppss!forgot to add..even though there’s a ‘leakage’ everywhere in Rafa’s game but he still a very patient warrior..he will pounce as soon as he find the right time…so…Rafa in 2 or 3…C’mon Rafa!!wooohoooo!!!

    Reply

  3. Everyone of his opponents so far comes with a SHBH; Kohl perhaps has taken a leaf off Fed’s latest book on how to beat Rafa with effective use of SHBH.

    Kohl came out all guns blazing, not afraid to take Rafa on with his own SHBH to Rafa’s FH. Mahut may just do the same, and Rafa too may just do the same, i.e. hitting to opponent’s BH no matter what.

    Reply

  5. 6 0..:-)

    Maybe nerves of no 1000 match..

    good thing is he ended better than how he started 🙂

    anyways I doubt he can get past Nishi even if he reaches there…Nishikori will clobber him as he whacks second serve returns like nobodys business

    Reply

    • Sanju….i think you’re spoke too soon!Sure Nishi will give him trouble..his game is really dangerous for rafa who still loves using his FHCC and kei will feast on that numerous time[thank u for that amigo!] but if rafa can handled Milos and Zverez with their booming serve,even he had to go the distance for it…i think he can handle Kei in the end…

      Reply

  7. I’m more fearful of Kei, Dimi than Raonic. Kei and Dimi move so well it’s difficult to contain them. Raonic lacks their movement even though his has also improved.

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      • Exactly.

        Everybody including Rafa just going to pretend that bagel had nothing to do with Rafa and the opponent was just too good.

        Revisionism is everywhere. Along with a heaping dose of denial.

        #OnlyKiddong
        #BeingPolite

        Reply

      • VR, Rafa will find answers most of the time, including solving the Rafa problem, but I feel he won’t solve the Fed issue so soon. In a final he most likely will have problems(mental issues), until he finally wins one. I do feel Rafa won’t get bageled in a slam, that Berdych match would be the last of such imo; though that’s not to say that he won’t lose at a slam, but at least he would fight hard before losing and not lose meekly.

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    • Lucky: do you mean at Miami? Raonic and Dimitrov are out already. However, if they both win their next matches, Nadal will play Jack Sock, who has been having his best year so far, and who likes to compare his own game to Nadal’s (main similarity is the heavy topspin FH). He was one of my picks to make the final in Miami. He had a walkover in round 2, and played very well to beat Vesely in R3. If he and Nadal meet, I’m expecting a close match.

      Reply

      • I know they are out already; I’m talking in general. Rafa vs Sock always a close fight, Sock took a set at FO and at Shanghai or Beijing I think.

        Reply

        • luckystar (AT 9:54 AM)
          H2H RAFAEL NADAL VS JACK SOCK 2:0
          2015 – Beijing – Rafael Nadal won 36 64 63
          2015 – Roland Garros – Rafael Nadal won 63 61 57 62

          Reply

  9. In the video above, Rafa talks about how playing well this year made him believe he can turn this around. So, at least there is there positive of doing so well at the AO. He doesn’t have to think too far back to remember that he actually can play at a high level.

    Reply

    • I’m positive that at the slams, Rafa is a different animal. He generally doesn’t have such off days at the slams.

      Nobody except Rafa himself knew what happened in that first set; perhaps he was figuring out how to counter an aggressive SHBH. He was serving rather conservatively maybe wary of the windy conditions. I noticed that once he increased his pace to say 118-119 mph he got a fault, so he became cautious with his second serve.

      It’s strange that came the second set, his serve did become better and had a few easy holds. I wonder why he just couldn’t serve that way in the first set.

      Kohl’s level might have dropped in the second but that might be due to Rafa upping his. It’s quite puzzling why Rafa has so much up and down in his level, sometimes from match to match, sometimes even within a match. The Acapulco final was a disappointment, he was playing tentatively like the first set here, hoping for opponent to make errors rather than going for winners himself.

      Reply

      • “I’m positive that at the slams, Rafa is a different animal. He generally doesn’t have such off days at the slams.”

        Then why had he failed to make a slam SF in last eight attempts prior to AO losing to fognini, pouille, dreddy, and on and on.

        Those are all off days.

        Reply

  13. I am not sure what to expect in Rafa’s next match. I still don’t understand why he served so poorly in that first set. I am just glad that he could turn it around.

    There is no question that Rafa’s poor play was the reason for the bagel.

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    • No I don’t agree. Rafa definitely served better. He lost only one point on serve in the second and third sets. That is him, not Kohls.

      We also know from graphics displayed on the tennis channel, that Rafa changed his ROS position after the first set. He was standing much closer in the first set, but he did move back in sets 2 and 3.

      Rafa also managed to start dictating play more and moving a lot better. The forehand was more effective and so was the backhand.

      I do think that Kohls started making more errors, but the truth is that he was never going to be able to keep playing well enough to beat Rafa. Rafa was not playing at all in that first set. It was one way traffic. Whatever the reason, Rafa made adjustments and started playing more like himself.

      Reply

  15. I saw the highlights..Why did I feel Rafas shots had no power and penetration..sadly I fell this all match not just set 1..except select FH/BH winners

    he seemed to be hitting ball much better/harder in AO..it looks like powder puff now with so much net clearance..the BH is no way even close to AO…

    and the ROS..horrible..just looping it back in all the time

    Reply

  18. Dammit stupid goffin everything I’m about to win a huge accumulator bet he screws me over. I got $50 to win $2500 all I need is goffin straight win and Wawrinka straight sets. Goffin messed up the whole thing.

    Reply

  19. I feel like goffin match fixes. Every time he is playing a top 20 player when odds is closer, he does so good. When he is playing someone lower ranked and goffin is a big favorite he has so many problems.

    Reply

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