MADRID/STARNBERG, April 27, 2024
Rafael Nadal has booked his spot in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open by winning against 10th-seeded Australian Alex De Minaur, 7-6 (6), 6-3 at the Caja Magica on Saturday afternoon.
Nadal, who scored his first Top 20 win since the 2022 ATP Finals, avenged a straight-set loss to De Minaur last week on home soil in Barcelona. In front of packed stands on Pista Manolo Santana, the 37-year-old Spaniard capitalized on four of his five break-point chances and won 52 per cent of the total points played to prevail after two hours and two minutes.
The moment Rafael Nadal sent the Manolo Santana WILD 🗣️🗣️@RafaelNadal #MMOPEN https://t.co/SMAZSA3ATg pic.twitter.com/TV1s0S84XK
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 27, 2024
“I’m super happy to be able to be competitive against a great player like Alex, play over two hours. It means a lot to me and the atmosphere here is just a joke, so I can’t thank enough everybody here,” said the five-time Madrid champion, who will next play Argentinian Pedro Cachin.
“If I am able to play weeks in a row and if I am able to play tennis, then I’m going to see how far I can go and how competitive I could be. But that’s not the case yet, just step by step and let’s see how I recover.”
Sinner cruises past Sonego
Earlier in the day, top seed Jannik Sinner beat fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-0, 6-3 in only 69 minutes.
“I know him really well because we play Davis Cup together and we are good friends. So I just tried to stay focused because these kinds of matches are not easy to play. I feel so good and solid on court,” said World No. 2 Sinner.
“I’m very happy to be back here. Last year I missed this tournament and I feel more excited. I love the atmosphere and the crowd. I’m just trying to play some good tennis and we will see how the tournament goes.”
For the Mutua Madrid Open Results, please click here.
