Rafael Nadal scrambles Alexandr Dolgopolov to reach the quarter-finals – BNP Paribas Open 2012
Second seed, Rafael Nadal, advanced to his seventh consecutive quarter-final in Indian Well, cruising past 21st seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday. The
Spaniard lost just five games and grabbed the contest 6-3, 6-2 in just an hour and 16 minutes.
The 25-year-old captured the title here in 2007 and 2009. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the title match last year.
Nadal got off to the best possible start, as he clinched first three games of the first set, breaking the Ukrainian in the second and holding the third to attain a 3-0 lead. The Spaniard did not drop his serve throughout the set,
sealing it 6-3 in the end.
The left-hander used his sharp angled first serves to hit two aces, winning 13 of the 18 points on them. Nadal dominated even on the second ones, as he grabbed an incredible nine of the 12 points on them. The Spaniard put away
all the three break threats he faced and capitalised on one of the three opportunities he created in the opener.
In the second set, Dolgopolov claimed the opening game but then Nadal went on to grab five games in a row, building a 5-1 lead. The Ukrainian won another game to reduce the trail to 2-5 but Nadal made full use of the double break
and sealed it 6-2.
Nadal banged in two more aces in the second ser and lost only one point on his first serves, winning 14 of the 15 of them. While, Dolgopolov put on a dismal show on serve. The Ukrainian committed a double fault and kept his first
serve percentage at 26. The right-hander failed to avail the two break chances he received and could not save two of the three he came across.
Talking to the media people after the match, Nadal expressed, “The match started a terrific way for me with a break. That gave me confidence. I did what I had to do.”
He added, “Being in the quarters is fantastic. He is very difficult to play against. He can produce winners from every part of the court. He's a funny player, good for tennis. I started very strong and he had a few mistakes, more
than the usual on the backhand, which helped me out a bit.”
Nadal will face David Nalbandian of Argentina in the quarterfinals. The Argentinean upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round.
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