PTT Thailand Open 2010: Rafael Nadal wins his opening match
World number one Rafael Nadal registered his 60th victory of a phenomenal season on Thursday when he beat his Belgian tennis foe, Ruben Bemelmans, in a total of two sets for a spot in the quarter final
round of the PTT Thailand Open tennis tournament. The final match score was 6-1, 6-4. The match concluded in a time period of seventy two minutes.
Rafael, who arrived in Bangkok ten days ago, missed just a total of eight points on serve and managed to convert three of five break point chances. The Spaniard has a 60-7 match record on the year.
The twenty four year old Nadal locked up the ATP World Tour Champion honours on the second occasion in three seasons after winning his first United States Open trophy by getting the better of Novak Djokovic in New York. He
became the seventh player in the history of the game to complete a career Grand Slam and also the youngest to achieve the feat in the Open era since 1968.
"It's never easy in a first match. I had a few days rest after the United States Open but I think I am playing well. I'm happy with my match. Bemelmans played well during some moments and the second set for sure was not easy.
It's important to start with a win,” said Rafael after his today’s victory.
Rafael, who also met the Prime Minister of Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva, after the clash, further added, "It was an honour for me to meet the Prime Minister and I would just like to thank him for coming to watch the match."
Meanwhile, the second seeded Fernando Verdasco suffered a blow in his quest to add some valuable points to his ATP world rankings when the Spaniard tennis ace fell in his first clash.
The world number eight, who is attempting to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on the second consecutive year, was toppled by Benjamin Becker from Germany in a total of two sets. The final match score was 6-4,
6-4. The clash concluded in a time period of eight seven minutes on Thursday. It was Benjamin’s first victory over Verdasco since June 2009 at the UNICEF Open tennis competition.
"It's always good to get a win over a Top 10 player. It's not every week that it happens, so it gives me confidence for the rest of the indoor season. I had beaten him before so I knew I had a chance today,” said Becker after
the match.
Benjamin, the 2007 finalist, smashed a total of nine aces for the fifth Top ten win over his career rival Verdasco.
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