Nadal cruises to straight
MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal couldn’t learn much from his comfortable straight-set win over American teenager Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open.
Nadal cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over the mistake-prone 16-year-old Blanch on Thursday.
“I didn’t test much my body today,” the 37-year-old Nadal said. “I played a decent match doing the things that I had to do to be through, but at the same time I played against a player ... making more mistakes.”
Blanch, playing only in his second ATP tour match, made 27 unforced errors. Nadal never faced a break point and was in control from the start against the wild-card entry, closing the match in just over one hour at the Caja Magica center court in the Spanish capital.
“I think today I played against an opponent with a great future,” Nadal said. “But today, still making mistakes. I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I’m happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future.”