Rafael Nadal breezed into the 3rd round with a very comfortable win over American qualifier Ryan Sweeting in 2hrs and 2 mins. This was their 3rd meeting of the year and the result was no different this time either.
Rafa was business-like in the first 2 sets with an erratic opponent making things much easier for him. That said, Rafa was also serving quite well with an unusually high number of aces (9 in all) for his general standard. He also made a lot of successful approaches to the net and impressed one and all with his volleying skills. Of course, the usual sledge hammer forehands down the line and cross-court were also on view.
Supreme on grass as wellIn the 2nd set in particular, Rafa was quite sublime and he even had a chance to bagel his opponent. Rafa just needed a single break to seal the first set whereas in the 2nd set he broke twice. In fact, Sweeting had huge problems in holding his serve in the 2nd set. In the 3rd set, the 2 players traded early breaks of serve before Rafa stamped his supremacy again and served out the match.
Sweeting also showed glimpses of his talent with some bludgeoning forehands but his tendency to make too many errors due to his erratic game cost him dear.
The final score line read 6 3, 6 2, 6 4 in Rafa’s favor. Yet another romp through the early rounds for the defending champ and numero uno. All eyes are now fixed on his possible encounter with del Potro in the 4th round.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
