TENNIS – World Number 1 player and defending Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal cruised past young Austrian rising star Dominic Thiem in straight sets with 6-2 6-2 6-3 to get through to the third round. Nadal broke serve seven times but it was not so easy for the Spaniard against the young Austrian player who got two breaks. Diego Sampaolo
Interviews, Results, OOP, Draws from the Roland Garros
Nadal won his 61st career match at the Roland Garros where he collected eight titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013). He is bidding to become the first player in history to win five consecutive titles.
Nadal rallied from 0-30 in the opening game after two unusual unforced errors and saved a break point before winning the first game after nine minutes. Nadal broke serve in the second game. Thiem won the fourth game for 1-3 but Nadal reeled off 10 points in a row to cruise to a easy 5-1.
As Nadal was serving at 5-1 in the first set, Thiem fended off a set point with a backhand volley at the net.
Thiem earned a break point in the seventh game and managed to convert it with a forehand winner but he made a double fault to drop serve in the following game and Nadal closed out the first set
Both players held serve in the first two games of the second set. Thiem won three consecutive points in the third game to earn a break point with a backhand passing shot. Nadal fended it off with a drop shot before breaking serve in the next game to go up 4-1. He sealed the win in the second set with a forehand winner down the line.
Thiem recovered from 0-30 to save a break point in the first game of the third set. The young Austrian played good tennis and got the break in the third game. He backed up the break in a hard-fought fourth game to take a 3-1 lead after Nadal earned two break back points. The Mallorcan Roland Garros legend broke back in the sixth game.
The rest of the match was easy for Nadal who held serve in the seventh game. Nadal went up 0-30 on Them’s serve and got the second break of the third set after Thiem made a double fault.
Nadal sealed the win on his second match point when Thiem sent his forehand out
After the match Nadal praised Thiem for his good match and predicted a good future for the young Austrian player who grabbed the headlines this month when he upset Stan Wawrinka in Madrid.
“It was a dangerous match. I played the way that I would like to play. He was able to hit the ball very strongly from the backhand and the forehand. I think I did well. I went to the net a few times. He has completely everything to become a top star and fight for these tournaments”
Thiem played a good third set showing once again that he has the potential for the future.
“It was a great feeling to play on the Philippe Chatrier. He has lost one match in 10 years here, so I knew it was going to be the biggest challenge in my career. In general I didn’t play bad but I did a lot of rookie mistakes. Against a player like him, you always want to keep the points short. His game was pretty much what I expected. I hope I can take a lot with me from this match”, said Thiem.
Nadal will face Leonardo Mayer who edged Teymuraz Gabashvilli in four sets with 6-2 4-6 6-4 6-4
