Spain’s Rafael Nadal spoiled Carlos Alcaraz’s 18th birthday bash as he moved into the third round of Madrid Open with a 6-1, 6-2 victory on Wednesday.
Fans on the Manolo Santana Stadium sang ‘comfortable birthday’ as Alcaraz stepped onto the court docket in opposition to his childhood idol. But even in his nation’s largest tennis court docket and underneath the watchful eye of Spanish sports activities legends like Iker Casillas and Raul, Alcaraz confirmed no signal of nerve as he got here out swinging.
The generational second-round conflict was greater than only a showcase of the current and way forward for Spanish tennis. Both gamers are coached by Spanish greats and former World No. 1s, with Juan Carlos Ferrero in Alcaraz’s field and Carlos Moya in Nadal’s.
“Carlos es el presente y a corto plazo el futuro”@RafaelNadal | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/YxBEk2d7XS
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 5, 2021
Top seed Nadal superior to the third round, and awaits the winner of Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin and 14th seed Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz set the tone early on and pushed the Barcelona Open winner to break level in his first service recreation. But the World No. 2 held agency and powered his method to a break within the subsequent recreation, taking a 2-0 lead. Alcaraz did properly to keep toe-to-toe with the five-time champion, however he over-extended himself on a backhand lob at 2-0, 15/15 after an extended rally and wanted a medical day out.
Nadal reeled off the subsequent three video games as Alcaraz struggled to regain his footing, and the highest seed claimed 12 of the final 15 factors to shut out the opening set.
Nadal’s heavy high spin pushed Alcaraz behind the baseline, and he dictated the rallies together with his forehand to preserve the ball out of his opponent’s strike zone.
Too many unforced errors undid {the teenager}’s efforts, and Nadal’s scientific efficiency did not enable him to discover his rhythm within the second set.
With the Spanish followers prepared Alcaraz on, the wild card broke Nadal’s serve at 3-1. But Nadal broke straight again, and closed out the victory after an hour and 13 minutes.
