HOT TENNIS NEWS – “RAFA” RAFAEL NADAL (RIO DE JANEIRO) AND JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO (DELRAY BEACH) BOTH BACK IN ACTION ON THURSDAY BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 17th February 2016

HOT TENNIS NEWS - "RAFA" RAFAEL NADAL (RIO DE JANEIRO) AND JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO (DELRAY BEACH) BOTH BACK IN ACTION ON THURSDAY BY RICKY DIMON |

#nadal #victory #rioopen – Photo by @tennis_phil via Instagram.

The jam-packed February schedule will continue with another impress slate of matches on Thursday. Among those in action at the Rio Open are Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, and Alexandr Dolgopolov. Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Alexander Zverev, and Ernests Gulbis are taking the court at the Open 13. At the Delray Beach Open, Juan Martin Del Potro will be looking to bag a second victory in his comeback event.

Rio: (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Nicolas Almagro

Nadal and Almagro will be squaring off for the 15th time in their careers on Thursday. Unlike in last week’s situation, which saw Almagro upset David Ferrer in the Buenos Aires semis after previously being 0-15 lifetime in the head-to-head series, he does own one–and only one–win over this heavily-favored countryman. Almagro stunned Nadal 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the 2014 Barcelona quarters, but the underdog is just 1-13 overall in 14 attempts against the 14-time major champion. Nadal has since gotten the best Almagro on three straight occasions in easy straight sets (all three in 2015, including twice on clay).

Both players are coming off third-set tiebreaker losses to Dominic Thiem in Buenos Aires. The 22-year-old Austrian fought off one match point to beat Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) in the semis before coming back from a break down in the decider to outlast Almagro 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(4). Of course, the two setbacks did not feel similar at all. For Nadal, it came on the heels of a first-round Aussie Open loss to Fernando Verdasco; for Almagro, it marked his first ATP final since 2012. The world No. 53 got back on track by holding off Daniel Munoz De La Nava 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Tuesday in Rio, while Nadal rolled over Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-4.

“I think I played a fantastic first set,” Nadal said. “Then in the second, the conditions were so heavy. It was so difficult to serve, so there were a lot of breaks. I was able to survive there. It’s important not to get frustrated in that moment, when you have the advantage and then he breaks you back. I stayed calm. I had more chances to break again. It’s a very good victory for me and I’m very happy.

“Almagro is a very difficult opponent on every surface, but especially on clay–which is his best surface. I know it’s going to be a difficult match. I will need to play at a high level to have chances.”

Pick: Nadal in 2

Delray Beach Open: (Q) John-Patrick Smith vs. (WC) Juan Martin Del Potro

#DelPotro #Regreso #DelrayBeach #ATP – Photo by @facuquiroga82 via Instagram.

Del Potro will contest the second match of his comeback on Thursday. His first appearance since last March could not have gone better, as the 27-year-old Argentine drubbed Denis Kudla 6-1, 6-4 in exactly one hour. As expected, Del Potro was tentative on the backhand side–although he did hit plenty of two-handers to go along with some one-handed slices. But he dominated with his serve and forehand while firing five aces, winning 24 of 26 first-serve points, and holding all nine of his service games without facing a single break point.

Up next for the 2009 U.S. Open champion is a first-ever meeting with Smith, for whom this has already been one of the most productive weeks of his career. The 135th-ranked Australian had to qualify (he beat both Andrey Rublev and Alejandro Falla in three sets) before upsetting Ivo Karlovic on Monday–also in three. It marked the fourth ATP-level, main-draw victory of the 27-year-old’s career.

Pick: Del Potro in 3