La seguridad como compañera de viaje mostró Rafael Nadal para acceder este martes a los cuartos de final del Miami Open presented by Itaú. El español, cuatro veces finalista en Crandon Park, firmó un encuentro sólido para superar al francés Nicolas Mahut por 6-4, 7-6(4) en una hora y 35 minutos de partido y citarse en la ronda de los ocho más fuertes ante el estadounidense Jack Sock.
El número 7 del Emirates ATP Rankings encontró las llaves del encuentro en una primera manga
Con esta victoria Nadal pasa a dominar por primera vez en su carrera el FedEx ATP Head2Head ante Mahut, vencedor en su primer pulso sobre la hierba de Queen’s en 2007 y vencido en el duelo más reciente en la pista dura del US Open 2011.
Ahora, tras firmar su 16ª victoria en 20 encuentros disputados en la temporada 2017, Nadal busca seguir avanzando en el ATP Masters 1000 de Miami en la dirección deseada: las rondas decisivas de los grandes torneos del ATP World Tour.
Today, the 2017 Miami Open featured all eight matches in the round of 16. Headlined by victories from top seeds in Kei Nishikori, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it was another worthy day of competition.
Nishikori started the action with a win against Federico Delbonis, who upset Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round. With a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory, the tournament’s No. 2 seed is closer to another Miami Open finals run, after he did so in 2016.
Following Nishikori in the stadium was Rafael Nadal, who overcame an 0-6 deficit in the first set of his previous contest to defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber. In his first matchup with Frenchman Nicolas Mahut since 2011, Nadal defeated him 6-4, 7-6(4).
The first two matches on the Grandstand featured three Americans in Donald Young, Jack Sock and 20-year-old Jared Donaldson. Three Americans in the round of 16 marked the most since 2004, but Sock will be the lone representative to move on. He will face Nadal in the quarterfinals.
It was Fabio Fognini who beat Young 6-0, 6-4. Then, it was Sock who defeated Donaldson 6-2, 6-1.
Sock will also advance in doubles play. Along with teammate Nicholas Monroe, the American duo defeated the team of Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers 7-6(5), 6-3.