Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will continue their Olympic campaigns when quarterfinal spots are on the line on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro. Nadal’s third-rounder is against Gilles Simon, while Andy Murray is facing Fabio Fognini.
(3) Rafael Nadal vs. (15) Gilles Simon
Nadal and Simon will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they clash in round three of the Rio Olympics on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at a commanding 7-1 in favor of Nadal, who has won five in a row at Simon’s expense since losing to the Frenchman 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) on the indoor hard courts of Madrid in 2008. In their last five matches, Nadal has taken 12 of 13 sets. Simon was competitive in a 7-6(1), 6-7(4), 6-2 setback on the red clay of Rome in 2014, but he got crushed 6-2, 6-4 last season in Indian Wells.
Based on current form, simply making it this far is a decent result for Simon. The world No. 31 is just 21-16 for the year and he had been a mere 2-5 in in his previous seven matches heading into Rio. So far at this event Simon has taken out Borna Coric and Yuichi Sugita in straight sets. Nadal was somewhat of an unknown commodity going into the games, because he had not played since the French Open due to a wrist injury. But like Simon, the Spaniard’s week is off to a flawless start. He has made quick work of Federico Delbonis (6-2, 6-1) and Andreas Seppi (6-3, 6-3) in singles to go along with a trio of doubles victories that already has him–and partner Marc Lopez–in the semifinals. Simon presents an almost identical matchup to what Seppi brought to the table on Tuesday, and Nadal should enjoy a similarly routine day at the office.
Pick: Nadal in 2
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Fabio Fognini vs. (2) Andy Murray
Nobody has ever successfully backed up a singles gold medal by triumphing at the next Olympics, and Serena Williams’ chance went up in smoke on Tuesday. Murray’s bid, however, is alive and well. The 2012 London Games winner is through to the last 16 following straight-set defeats of Viktor Troicki and Juan Monaco. Having recently triumphed at Queen’s Club and for a second time at Wimbledon, Murray is a perfect 14-0 in his last 14 matches.
Up next for the second-ranked Scot on Wednesday is a fifth career contest against Fognini, and the head-to-head series is all tied up at two victories apiece. The Italian has managed to defeat Murray once on a hard court, although that result came nine years ago (6-2, 6-2 at the Rogers Cup). They most recently collided two seasons ago indoors in Valencia, where Murray cruised 6-2, 6-4. Fognini earned another shot at the three-time major champion by beating Victor Estrella Burgos and Benoit Paire–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker on Monday evening. The world No. 40 may not have a ton left in the tank and even if he does, all signs point to a convincing win for Murray.
Pick: Murray in 2
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Rafa with 7 forehand winners and 10 backhand winners!!! LOLLLL
His backhand is at its peak aggression at the moment, I am telling you. The backhand DTL is better than ever !!! Yes, better than ever!
Syd or Goffin next.
Delpo wins. RBA next.
Rafa just said in his interview on court that the rain yesterday was bad for the fans, but good for him. He feels good for his next two matches. He said that the next match is very important because it’s for a medal with one of his best friends.
Good luck in the doubles, Rafa!
awesome! the rain gave him a nice break 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
12-10 Bellucci first set TB.
Bellucci won the first set? They are showing Murray/Fog.
the court is REALLY slow.
I thought that the court seemed slow for a hard court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N3DwELU2FU
Enjoy before they get taken down lol….going to see this nice highlight package and then comment on how Rafa played.
Fog won set 2 !! 6-2! final set
Murray in trouble here.
Murray now has lost eight games in a row. To Fog.
When is the last time Murray lost eight straight games.
For that matter, when is the last time Fog won eight games in a row.
What is going on in this match?
Murray wins…. 14 winners 37 UE… they have a weird way of counting UEs
So Murray pulled it out.
Delighted that Murray won . I think it will be him in the final but don’t know whether his opponent will be Del Potro or Nadal. On balance, maybe Nadal.
Well, that is what I am hoping for – a Rafa/Murray final!