TENNIS: Nadal and his back buy time as he despatches Djere in straight sets in under two hours: 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Muguruza brushes aside Gasparyan
The man from Manacor won not only the match but time for his back to recover. Nadal arrived in Adelaide and after starting quarantine suffered from a sore lower back. This quick match allowed him to test it, but not exert himself.
It wasn’t a classic, but Nadal showed his class when brushing aside debutante Djere. Having arrived with only one preparatory match in the locker, the exhibition in Adelaide, Nadal quickly took charge and broke Djere in the second and sixth games. Djere fought to regain a break back, but ultimately it was not enough.
“Today I had to survive, and I did. The last 15 days have been difficult,” Nadal summed up. He sealed the win with five aces and serving stats of 67% effective overall, 83% of points won on the first and 46% with the second.
Nadal, will play the winner of the clash between Viktor Troicki and Michael Mmoh, on Thursday.
From one Russian to another
Garbiñe Muguruza enjoyed a controlled victory over Gasparyan in just over an hour: 6-4, 6-0. Next up is another Russian, Samsonova who beat Badosa in a closely fought contest 6-7, 7-6, 7-5. Conchita Martínez applauded from courtside of Margaret Court, as Muguruza applied herself and showed no cause for concern.
The 27-year-old Spaniard, 14th in the current rankings, completed a serious and controlled first match. Muguruza came into the tournament with a good showing in Yarra Classic Valley final, where she narrowly lost to Ashleigh Barty.
“I keep the momentum from last week, which is what I wanted. I am happy to have been able to maintain that level,” Muguruza said. “You can see the change in temperature, it is less hot than other years”, she added. The temperatures are lower this year due to the tournament starting three weeks later than usual. “Other times they are extreme but now this favours everyone,” she concluded.
Spain still strong in men’s draw
Six other Spaniards join Nadal in the second round of the Australian open draw, including Carreno Busta, No. 15 seed, who beat Japan’s Nishikori in straight sets.
However, Muguruza is the lone flag carrier in the women’s draw as both Bolsova and Badosa lost.
