Nadal dismisses Almagro to reach round 3

Source:Agencies-Global Times Published: 2015-5-28 23:38:01

Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova survive scares at Roland Garros


Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to compatriot Nicolas Almagro in their men's singles second-round match at the French Open in Paris on Thursday. Nadal won 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Photo: AFP

Rafa Nadal got his usual confidence boost from Nicolas Almagro at Roland Garros, reaching the third round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victory - his fourth without dropping a set against his Spanish ­compatriot on the Paris clay.

Nadal, chasing a record-extending 10th title at the French Open, was tested by Almagro, who slumped to 154th in the rankings after a foot injury, but the Mallorcan had just too much strength.

The 28-year-old Nadal arrived in Paris on the back of his worst season on ­European clay but he is beginning to look a little more like his old self.

He tightened his game every time ­Almagro threatened, seeing off six of seven break points and wrapped up ­vicitory when he forced his opponent to return a powerful forehand wide on the first match point.

Sixth seed Nadal now has a 68-1 French Open record.

"I played a very good match, very solid, I'm happy to be back on court Philippe Chatrier," Nadal told a courtside interviewer in French.

He has now defeated Almagro 13 times out of 14.

Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova survived big scares on Thursday, both needing to come back from a set down to reach the third round.

Williams, 19 times a Grand Slam winner, survived an almighty fright before finally seeing off the challenge of world No.105 Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany.

The 33-year-old, top-seeded American dropped the first set and faced break points against her unheralded 21-year-old opponent in the second, but she ­rallied just in time to go through 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

In cold, blustery conditions, fourth seed Kvitova made it through to the last 32 with a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain's Silvia Soler-Espinosa.

But it was another nervy showing from the Wimbledon champion who was taken to the limit in her opening match against New Zealander Marina Erakovic.

The Czech Fed Cup winner, a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2012, dropped serve twice in the opening set before the more consistent Soler-Espinosa took the tiebreaker 7/4. Kvitova was hanging on early in the second set, but finally ­started to find her range with her ground strokes and broke to take a 4-3 lead.

That was short-lived, however, as ­Soler-Espinosa battled back onto level terms in the next game, but Kvitova took the next two to level the set scores.

The fourth seed took command early on in the deciding set and back-to-back breaks saw her safely past the post and into the third round.



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