Rafael Nadal cruises past Kei Nishikori at Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal has made a strong start to his bid for a second Wimbledon crown to add to the one he won in 2008 with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory over wildcard Kei Nishikori.
It was a confident opening that contrasted sharply with the shaky start Roger Federer made to his title defence against Alejandro Falla on day one – a match the top seed was in genuine danger of losing – with Nadal unleashing potent ground strokes and showing fine touch from the outset, without needing to find top gear as he moved through to the second round with ease.
The world No. 1 secured the early break in the opening set, but an unforced error by the second seed handed Nishikori two break back points in the fourth game of the match. Two consecutive errors by the Japanese player at the net, however, ensured a golden chance went begging and Nadal held to take a 3-1 lead in the opening set.
Unlike his 189th ranked opponent, Nadal made the most of the second break point opportunity he gained in the first set and with the double break in his pocket, he cruised to the first set in just 36 minutes.
After failing to match the French Open champion in the first set, Nishikori stuck with Nadal in the second as he showcased some fine volleying skills on centre court as neither player conceded even a break point opportunity in the first eight games, but at deuce in the ninth, the wildcard made two unforced errors to gift Nadal the break and the chance to serve for the set, and opportunity the Majorcan did not pass up as he took a 2-0 lead in the match.
It was an overwhelming deficit for the 20-year-old, who was broken in the opening game of third set as Nadal closed on what by that stage appeared to be nothing other than an inevitable victory over the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy graduate.
But just as victory seemed to be a formality for the Spaniard, Nishikori broke back to level the set at 3-3, with the crowd appreciating the fact he was at least putting up a fight against the world’s top-ranked player.
Nadal though, was quick to respond, breaking back in the next game and then holding serve to reassert his authority over both the set and a promising young player who is currently on the comeback trail from injuries that have interrupted a promising career that has already seen him rise to a career-high ranking of world No. 56.
While it may be only one win of the seven Nadal requires to again get his hands on the silverware that knee tendonitis last year prevented him from defending, if the 24-year-old can continue in the same vein for six more matches he’ll certainly come close to winning a second Wimbledon title this year.
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