ROME (Reuters) – Defending champion Rafael Nadal kicked off his Italian Open campaign with an emphatic 6-3 6-1 victory over big-serving American John Isner to move into the last 16, while Stefanos Tsitsipas saved two match points to take the lead. .
Nadal, who returned from a rib injury this month and fell in the quarter-finals in Madrid last week, dominated Isner, who struggled to find answers once the Spaniard claimed his 11th title at Foro Italico Rome, Reuters reported.
Isner leads the ATP tour with over 450 aces in 2022 but Nadal negated the American’s booming serve by receiving from behind the baseline – even on his second serve – he broke four times and limited him to just one ace per match.
The match went with serving in the first set and Isner missed two break points with a score of 3-3, before Nadal climbed out of his match and broke in the next game after a lapse in concentration from the giant American.
“The start of the match was not good for me and he even had some break opportunities to come back. I was in his hands at that moment,” Nadal said in a post-match interview.
“Lucky for him, he missed those two kicks. Then I broke the ball and then the game changed.”
The second set wasn’t a contest as Nadal broke in the opener to set the tone and didn’t look back as Isner ran out of gas. Nadal will next play Denis Shapovalov, who saved two match points in the third round last year on his way to his 10th title.
“Last year was a joke. That match I saved here against him. I know how dangerous he is,” Nadal added.
“I need to play well, of course, I need to play better than today. But it’s another victory and now tomorrow again a chance to play against one of the best players in the world.”
Tsitsipas overcame Grigor Dimitrov with a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4) victory, but he struggled after the Bulgarian suddenly found his groove in the second set.
Dimitrov exploded with love when Tsitsipas was playing the match and won four games in a row to move into the third set.
Dimitrov took match points 5-4 6-5 in the deciding set, but the Greek fourth seed saved both and forced the tiebreak, taking a 5-0 lead before sealing the lead.
“Unbelievable fight, I am very happy that I was able to overcome this obstacle,” Tsitsipas said. “Gregor played really well, and I had a tough time on the court.
“The fact that I was able to tackle all of that and come back strong in the third set tiebreak was a great way to make up for myself.”
Second seed Alexander Zverev, who lost in the final in Madrid at the weekend, advanced to the last 16 after defeating Argentine Sebastian Baez 7-6 (6), 6-3.