Nadal lives up to expectations with Madrid win

Madrid – Top seed Rafael Nadal blew up the second day of the Madrid Masters, overcoming Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the third round on his home turf.

Nadal, with eight singles titles this season, gave the crowd what they had hoped for in his opening match after a three week break.

The world number one has claimed the home trophy only once, three years ago. In the past two years, he had made it to the quarter-finlas.

Nadal’s last play was against the US in crushing style and at the November Davis Cup final in Mar del Plate.

Ernests Gulbis, 20, saved a match point in the final game after Nadal took late control with a break in the third.

The Spaniard’s next play is against the French 15th seed Richard Gasquet, who defeated American Mardy Fish 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-3.

Nadal said he had to fight through to become victorious. “It was a very tough match and and important one to win. He fought back well in the second set, winning the important games.”

“I pulled out my best game when I had to.”

Andy Murray took full advantage of his opponent, Italy’s Simone Bolelli. Murray won 6-0, 2-1 with the Italian retiring due to a shoulder problem.

Murray, the US Open finalist from Scotland who spent a welcome and extended stretch of time at home this autumn after losing in New York to Roger Federer, dropped just one point on serve in the first set.

The fourth seed next plays Croatian Marin Cilic, a winner over Spain’s 13th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-3.

“I was really happy with how I served and moved,” said Murray. “He stopped for a shoulder problem, but he seemed to be hitting his serve fine to me.”

Cilic and Murray played as juniors and in Davis Cup, but never at the ATP level. “He’s playing well on these courts,” said Murray. “It will be a tough match, I’ll have to play very well to win.

“He’s a danger here with the ball flying at altitude.”

Gilles Simon continued the Madrid misery for James Blake, keeping the American without a career win in the Spanish capital after a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat in the second round.

In addition to five losses in Madrid, Blake was also embarrassed last April in a Barcelona debut. The loss leaves him trailing even farther as the points race to next month’s Masters Cup tightens.

Blake was playing for the first time since losing in the US Open third round. He skipped the Davis Cup semi-final which the US lost to Spain in a bullring across town in Madrid last month.

Playing in the first round, German Philip Kohlschreiber eliminated Spain’s Carlos Moya 6-2, 6-2 with Marcel Granollers getting one back for the hosts with his 6-4, 6-4 result over Paul-Henri Mathieu of France.

Frenchman Gael Monfils followed up his weekend Vienna final, defeating Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-2, 6-4.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 10:33 am and is filed under Tennis News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.