RAFAEL NADAL WINS MIOMIR KECMANOVIC IN STRAIGHT SETS ON COMEBACK FROM INJURY AT MADRID OPEN.
Rafael Nadal looked in fine fettle on his return from injury at the Madrid Open to get past Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets, 6-1 7-6. Nadal appeared to be suffering no ill-effects of his rib issue, at one stage ripping a forehand winner measured at 95 mph during the rain-delayed encounter. Nadal could meet Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals if both win their last-16 matches.
Rafael Nadal marked his comeback from injury with an impressive 6-1 7-6 win over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic at the Madrid Open.
Nadal hadn’t been in competitive action since Indian Wells in March where he contracted a rib complaint during his final loss to Taylor Fritz.
But the Spaniard has been putting all his customary intensity into his recovery, and to the delight of his home crowd he fired out of the blocks in the Caja Magica, blowing Kecmanovic away to take the first set 6-1.
That might have hinted at a straightforward victory, but Kecmanovic has had a strong start to 2022 and made the quarter-finals of both Indian Wells and Miami, losing to the winners of each respective event.
And he showed what he was capable of in the second set, showing resilience to break back at 5-6 down when on the brink, instead levelling up at 6-6 and forcing a tie-break.
That was a close-run thing too, but Nadal was able to delve into his vault of experience to edge over the line, taking it 7-4.
Ultimately the gulf in class was evidenced by how difficult Kecmanovic found it to win points on his second serve with that percentage down at a lowly 38%, indicating how often Nadal was able to make inroads in his 22-year-old opponent’s service games.
Nadal will go on to face either David Goffin or Botic van de Zandschulp in the last 16, with a possible all-Spanish quarter-final meeting with Carlos Alcaraz beyond that.
