Rafael Nadal is through to the second round in New York after hammering Ryan Harrison in straight sets on Monday. Nadal awaits either Vasek Pospisil or Rogerio Dutra Silva.
“Always the first round is not easy,” Rafael Nadal said after his first-round match at the U.S. Open on Monday afternoon.
Oh, but this one was.
Nadal bulldozed his way past Ryan Harrison with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory that required just two hours and six minutes to complete. The second-ranked Spaniard held all 13 of his service games while saving both of the break points he faced.
A relatively competitive set was decided by just one break, but it came in the first game of the match so Nadal was never seriously tested. Although Harrison held his remaining service games and won a respectable nine points against his opponent’s serve, 16 unforced errors doomed his chances to get back on level terms.
Perhaps discouraged by Nadal’s ever-improving form and his continued bad luck in Grand Slam draws, Harrison mustered less of a fight in sets two and three. The 21-year-old American had two break chances in the third, but by that point the match was already a lost cause and both went by the wayside. Nadal served out the proceedings at 5-2 to set up a second-round meeting with either Vasek Pospisil or Rogerio Dutra Silva.
“Today [was] the first match after two years in Arthur Ashe, so it’s a great feeling,” assured Nadal, who missed the 2012 event due to a knee injury. “The conditions out there today were difficult, so [I’m] happy to be through. [A] win in straight sets is a good start for me.”
Pospisil and Dutra Silva were rained out with Dutra Silva trailing two sets to one but leading 4-0 in the fourth. Pospisil, a Montreal semifinalist, served for the match twice in the third before losing it in a tiebreaker.
Maybe the best opening match at the US Open that he has ever had?
You could be right. It would be amazing if he could repeat the ’10 run and get to the final without dropping a set.
But with the potential QF and SF prospects that would be a tall order!
At least Gulbis is no longer in his path. 🙂
Fingers crossed. I think this will be the 13
according to rafa’s facebook page, one of his friends died and he just knew it! now I am worried!
Don’t worry, Rafa has an uncanny ability to compartmentalise….
His name was Juanjo Garra, a moutain climber. He died in the Himalayas after spending 4 days and nights at more than 8000 mtrs with a broken ankle.
Not sure how much Nadal knew him
what exactly did he die of?