Rafael Nadal makes a winning return; stun Cermak/Dlouhy in doubles – VTR Open 2013
World number five, Rafael Nadal, made an epic comeback in tennis on Tuesday. He paired up with Juan Monaco to upset second seeds, Frantisek Cermak and Lukas Dlouhy, in straight sets at the VTR Open 2013, an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event taking place in Vina Del Mar, Chile.
Spanish star, Nadal played his first tennis match after seven months at this outdoor clay court tournament. He suffered a shocking second round exit at the Wimbledon Championships 2012 before entering this event.
Nadal stated in a courtside interview after bagging the match:
"It was a great feeling to play again and I'm very happy for doing it with a friend like Monaco in a great atmosphere that we had on the court. In doubles the effort is always less [taxing]; we will see how it goes in singles and how my physical condition is. I chose this tournament because it is the perfect time and surface."
The Spanish-Argentinean duo made a convincing start at the Chilean dirt. After the Czechs held their serve in the fifth game, Nadal and Monaco perfected their co-ordination and eventually clicked the opener with a 6-3 win. They dusted away both breakpoints they faced and converted two out of five break opportunities to their advantage.
The unseeded duo kept momentum rolling in the proceeding set. They drew the first blood in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. The Spanish-Argentinean tandem held their remaining serves with poise and capitalised on another break chance in the last game, eventually sealing the set by winning six games to two. They fended off all four breakpoints they encountered and cashed two out of six break chances to prevail.
Next up for the Spanish-Argentinean collaboration is the French-Italian junction, Guillaume Rufin and Filippo Volandri, in the quarter-finals at this event. Rufin and Volandri battled past the Colombians, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Santiago Giraldo, in three-sets to set-up this meeting.
In the singles event, Nadal is seeded top at this event and earned a first round bye. He will square off against the Argentinean qualifier, Federico Delbonis, in the round of 16.
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