Cincinnati: Rafael Nadal’s tragic comeback match at the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday leaves the Spaniard behind in his bid for the top of the ATP rankings. Nadal was ambushed by Croatia’s Bornacoric with his 7-6 (11/9) 4-6 6-3 Daniil dashing his hopes of overtaking Medvedev to become number one in the world rankings . No. 1 seed Medvedev, who faced Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals on Thursday, tried to tighten his grip on his current top position ahead of the US Open.
World No. 3 Nadal was rocked by his loss after six weeks away, recovering from an abdominal muscle injury that forced him to withdraw from the Wimbledon semifinals against Nick Kyrgios. Currently, Nadal will be attending the US Open, which starts in New York on August 29, and he will have only one hard-court match of the summer. “When it comes to New York, it’s a Grand Slam, a different kind of tournament,” Nadal said. “Before this match, I had only played two sets in the last 40 days. It won’t.”
The 36-year-old Spaniard, who has 22 Grand Slam titles, said he hopes to feed the energy of his fans at the US Open, where Nadal won titles in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. “It’s a very special place for me,” Nadal said. “I had an unforgettable moment there and I will do my best every day to be ready for it.”
colic crashes
Coric on Wednesday ruined Nadal’s comeback from the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters after a five-year hiatus. The 36-year-old Spaniard, who won the Cincinnati title in 2013, was out in his first match in over a month after withdrawing from his Wimbledon semifinal against Kyrgios with an abdominal injury. “When he comes back from injury, if he wins his first game, things will get better,” Nadal said. “Today it wasn’t.”
Nadal started the season with three titles and a 20-game winning streak, but heads to the US Open after just one summer hard-court match. “This competition was difficult for me. He played better,” Nadal said. “It’s hard to get a lot of positive things out of this match.” It takes practice. i need to go back better. that is the truth. “
The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s evening match was interrupted by rain in the first set for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Upon returning, the pair struggled in a first-set tiebreak that lasted over 15 minutes. Nadal missed two of his own set points and had to save two for Coric. But on his third chance for the Croatian, Nadal handed out the set with a costly double fault after spending his 1 hour and 15 minutes on the court. “I had chances in the tiebreak and played badly with two easy set points,” Nadal said.
It took Nadal another 75 minutes to straighten out after breaking in the seventh game of the second set. The Spaniard took a 2-4 lead from him with a forehand wide to open the door for Coric, who took the win in less than three hours. “It’s been very special,” said Coric, who underwent shoulder surgery last year. Deaf was all kinds of crazy.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios got lost amid opposition to on-court advertising lights, and Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios lost 6-3, 6-2 to American Taylor Fritz. The Australian was in complaint mode from the start, lamenting that his flickering LED lights on advertising boards were a distraction and demanding a fix. World No. 28 Kyrgios didn’t find his best game after a glorious summer that included a title in Washington earlier this month, losing to No. 11 seed Fritz in just 50 minutes.
Raducanu roll-on
Women’s 10th seed Emma Radukhanu beat her second Grand Slam champion within 24 hours, defeating Victoria Azarenka 6-0, 6-2. Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka eventually won the game after her US Open champion won her first ten her games as a teenager. But the young Briton, who beat Serena her Williams in another set the night before, held off Azarenka on her two break points in the final game to clinch the win in 63 minutes.
“It was another very difficult match, tough against Vika,” said Radukhanu. “I knew I had to get serious about my game. After losing 3-6 6-3 6-4 to Cameron Norrie in the round, a trainer had to visit the court after the game. In Cincinnati, where he won twice, and at Grand Slam, where he won three times, Murray needed to massage his right thigh before leaving the court after fighting for nearly two and a half hours.
“My consistency may not have been what I was hoping for,” said Murray. The 35-year-old Scottish player, who has had cramps at other events in recent weeks, is worried about his physical condition. “That’s a big concern for me. This is something I need to address and find a solution for,” Murray said. Ben Shelton of the United States defeated No. 5 seed Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, while World No. 1 Iga Swiatek beat Sloane Stevens 6-4, 7-5. – AFP
