Rafael Nadal disposes off Florian Mayer in the second round – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
Last year’s runner-up, Rafael Nadal of Spain, made an impressive start to his campaign, as he scrambled Germany’s Florian Mayer in straight sets 6-1, 7-5 in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy on Wednesday. The five-time former champion took only one hour and 21 minutes to beat the German opponent.
Nadal snatched a break in the second game of the opener and held his next serve to take a 3-0 advantage. Mayer was able to open his account in the fourth and reduce the deficit to 1-3 but Nadal captured three back to back games again to close it 6-1.
The Spaniard was flawless on the first serves, as he did not lose even a single point on them, clinching all 11. The left-hander also bulldozed Mayer with the help of his second deliveries and returns, as he secured five of the eight and three of the four points on them respectively in the opener.
None of the two players was able to break the other in the first 10 games of the second set, evening out the score at 5-5. Nadal showed why he is called the King of Clay, as he played magnificently afterwards, losing just two points in the next two games, sealing it 7-5.
The Spanish star had an outstanding conversion rate, grabbing 14 of the 16 points on the first and 10 of the 13 on the second serves. In comparison, Mayer performed better on first deliveries, maintaining a percentage of 64 and bagging 17 of the 21 points on them but the German fared poorly on the second ones, losing six of the 12 points on them.
After the match, Nadal said, "Today it was an important first set and I played aggressive. I made a mistake in the first set and then I felt good in the forehand. It is difficult to play against Mayer because he knows how to put you in a difficult position in the game, but I didn't suffer I think."
The Spaniard will now face compatriot, Marcel Granollers, in the third round.
Commenting on his next opponent, Nadal said, "You have to be careful when you win and when you lose and with anyone you are playing. I will respect my opponent and when you play a Masters 1000. Marcel is one of my best friends on tour – it is a great victory for him."
The King of clay leads 2-1 in the head to head record against Granollers.
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