Rafael Nadal He got his first victory of 2023 after successfully debuting in the australian opencontest in which he defends the title and starts as the favorite: he defeated the British Jack Draper by 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 and 6-1.
The 36-year-old No. 2 in the world ranking made a difference from his hierarchy and knew how to come out on top after exhibiting certain ups and downs, which even led him to remain equal sets after two disputed sets. The physique was another important factor, since his rival, 15 years younger, seemed very affected by a cramp late in the match.
The Spaniard had lost six of his last seven games, but managed to end the drought in a match that was hard fought from the start. In fact, he was only able to break the Englishman’s serve (38th) in the 12th game and thus closed the first chapter.
The story changed in the second from Draper’s escape on the scoreboard, with a 4-0 lead. But already in the third, the Manacor-born man tipped the outlook in his favor, scored 4-1 in the result and, despite the fact that his opponent caught up with him, then he sealed a break to go ahead again (2 sets to one).
The fourth was much more comfortable for Rafa, who thus established himself in the second phase of the Oceanic Slam and now awaits the American, Mackenzie Mcdonald (63rd), executioner of his compatriot Brandon Nakashima by 7-6 (7-5). , 7-6 (7-1), 1-6, 6-7 (10-12) and 6-4.
As for the statistics left by the commitment, the Spaniard closed with the greatest number of winners (41 vs. 35) and they finished tied in terms of unforced errors: 46, a high number for what the Spaniard is used to.
On the other hand, this was victory number 1,068 for Nadal in his career, a figure that allows him to match Ivan Lendl’s line. The 22-time Grand Slam winner is now tied for third most wins in the Open Era, behind only Jimmy Connors (1,274) and Roger Federer (1,251).
Among the South Americans, the Argentine Sebastián Báez said goodbye to the local Jason Kubler 6-2, 6-4 and 6-4, while Federico Coria fought before losing 4-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7 -6 (8-6) and 6-2 at the hands of the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.
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