Nadal, without mercy until eighth

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Balearic Islands destroys Gasquet to reach US Open second week for the twelfth time in his career

Rafael Nadal already has a new record. The most decanted rivalry in tennis history belongs to him. He defeated Richard Gasquet eighteen times, without allowing a single loss. His latest victory this Saturday, in the third round of the US Open 6-0, 6-1 and 7-5, is one of the most unbalanced of his career. A real beating that leaves the rivalry at 18-0, at the level of Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils, with the Serb also clearly dominating.

Nadal needed a game like that after two rounds full of doubts and dropping sets too easily. He needed a game in which he felt superior and dominant and in which he could run unhindered. An old acquaintance since childhood, Gasquet acted as an antidote to the Spaniard’s shadows, brushing off the rust from the early games and showing he was ready for the important rounds of the final Grand Slam of the season.

After acknowledging that he played one of the worst games of his career against Fabio Fognini, Nadal gave himself the chance to play another game. Because what sets the Nadals, Federer and Djokovic apart from the rest of mortals is their ability to play matches where their level is low. In this way, by also winning the matches in which they play poorly, they give themselves the chance to stay alive in the tournaments and play better the next match. And so it was with Gasquet.

The level of the Balearics had nothing to do with the match against the Italian. He was light years away from the erratic and ill-concentrated Nadal in the game against Fognini and went over the Frenchman, who took the last 34 sets in addition to eighteen victories in his career. The Frenchman’s morale is feeding, he needed an hour and ten minutes to win his first game of the match.

Nadal provided the fourth donut of their rivalry in the first set, winning the first nine games of the match. When Gasquet faltered his first game, he raised his arms to cheer the crowd’s cheers. A burden was lifted from him, but he didn’t turn the game around. Nadal recovered with three straight games to score a 6-0 and 6-1 that flirted with equaling his most convincing win in Grand Slam history, which he took at Roland Garros in 2017 against Nikoloz Basilashvili when he only left a game

He continued the momentum at the start of the third set, going 2-0 and clouding the game as the Frenchman let go. He didn’t have a good serve, which he gave in for the first time at the mercy of some common double faults – he made eight in the game – and let Gasquet win three games in a row. The easy win had faded and Nadal had to fight and sweat until he took it 7-5.

The Balearic Islands’ next rival is American Frances Tiafoe, who defeated Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (7), 6-4 and 6-4. It’s the third time Tiafoe has reached the round of 16 of the US Open, his apex, and it will be the third time he has faced Nadal, who dominates him in the head to head 2-0, both matches in 2019. Carlos Alcaraz’s second-round rival was also revealed during the night. It will be Croatian Marin Cilic, who defeated Briton Dan Evans in four sets and will face the Murcian for the third time this year, with victories for Alcaraz in Miami and Cincinnati.

Source: La Verdad

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