Rafael Nadal overcame an early blip to defeat Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-2, in the third round of the Madrid Open.
The atmosphere was electric as a packed crowd cheered for Nadal inside the Manolo Santana stadium, one of the biggest tennis venues in the world.
Massive cheer given for Rafal Nadal pic.twitter.com/GI98xWq5fn
— Adam_Addicott (@tennisbanter) 5 May 2016
The night was certainly all about Nadal, however, the start of the match was hijacked by some brave play from his American rival.
A series of powerful forehand shots as well as impeccable serving allowed Querrey to take an unexpected 3-0 lead, silencing the home crowd. As the cheers of the crowd got louder, Nadal finally started to find his usual high quality form on the clay as Querrey started to wobble. A wild forehand from the world No.37 finally allowed Nadal to break back as the momentum swiftly changed in his favor. The nine-time French Open champion broke for the second time with a overhead smash to seal the first set.
The encounter might of only been a third round match, but Nadal’s reaction to taking the first set was a clear indicator of how much this tournament means to him, shouting ‘come on’ and clenching his fist. It was a reaction associated with a player winning a tournament instead of a set in a third round match.
Nadal was on course to run away with the match after winning a break for 2-0 at the start of the second set. The problem for Querrey was his heavy hitting, which even produced outstanding winners or more commonly a series of unforced errors. The inconsistency played into the hands of Nadal, who recovered from being broken by claiming three straight games to have an opportunity to serve for the match. The task of serving for the match was no trouble for the home favorite as he converted his second match point.
The victory sets Nadal up with a quarterfinal meeting against Portugal’s Joao Sousa, a player who he defeated 6-1, 6-0, at the 2014 Rio Open.
“He’s a great player. We know each other very well,” Nadal said.
“When he’s in advanced rounds he’s a very dangerous player. He had an amazing victory today against Jack Sock, that’s a very dangerous, good player, especially here in altitude.’
‘He will be ready for the match of tomorrow and full of confidence. I hope to be ready to play a good match.” He concluded.
The win over Querrey is Nadal’s 41st in the tournament. It also extends his current winning streak on the clay to 12 consecutive matches.
