RAFAEL NADAL BATTLES PAST VERDASCO IN HAMBURG

Written by: Staff on 28th July 2015

RAFAEL NADAL BATTLES PAST VERDASCO IN HAMBURG

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action during his first round match against compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the ATP tennis tournament in Hamburg, Germany, 28 July 2015. EPA/Daniel Bockwoldt |

Top seed Rafael Nadal came from a set deficit to beat Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 at the bet-at-home Open on Tuesday.

“It’s a very important victory,” said Nadal. “For my mentality, it is important to finish the match better than how I started. To be able to make that change during the match was a very positive thing to me. I’m just happy [with] the way I came back.”

In his first appearance in Hamburg since hoisting the trophy in 2008, the Mallorcan improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Verdasco to 14-2.

Fernando Verdasco of Spain in action during his first round match against compatriot Rafael Nadal of Spain at the ATP tennis tournament in Hamburg, Germany, 28 July 2015. EPA/Daniel Bockwoldt

Nadal broke immediately for a 1-0 lead, but Verdasco held his nerve to break back. The World No. 41 applied pressure yet again in the sixth game, breaking the top seed for a 4-2 lead. Verdasco went on to clinch the opening set after 37 minutes, having hit 10 winners.

It took Nadal 12 minutes to hold serve in the opening game of the second set. The World No. 10 then struck first to break his compatriot, and then held to race to a 3-0 lead. Another break for Nadal put him two games away from levelling the match. Verdasco’s first ace of the match game him a hold for 1-5, but Nadal would serve out the set at love.

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action during his first round match against compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the ATP tennis tournament in Hamburg, Germany, 28 July 2015. EPA/Daniel Bockwoldt

Nadal earned a critical break in the decider for a 2-1 lead and saved all four break points he faced in the set to eventually clinch the victory and set a second-round clash with the winner of Jiri Vesely and Andreas Haider-Maurer.

(Courtesy of the ATp and Original Link - http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/hamburg-2015-tuesday-nadal-verdasco )

Topics: Atp World Tour, Bet At Home Open, Fernando Verdasco, Hamburg, Rafa Nadal, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

July 28, 2015 at 9:37 pm

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