Madrid Open—Madrid, Spain
Nadal Struggles to Advance
Five-time former winner Rafael Nadal reached the fourth-round of the Madrid Open on Monday, dismissing Pedro Cachin 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.
After cruising through the first set, Nadal overcame a 4-1 deficit in the second set only to lose it.
Rebounding to win the match in three sets, the Spaniard struck 35 winners, broke serve on nine occasions and won 24 points at net.
Nadal will next face, Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 7-6(7). Monteiro had dismissed Monte Carlo winner Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round.
No. 5 seed Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Alassime also reached the fourth round.
Elsewhere, No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev needed two hours and 25 minutes to dismiss talented American Sebastian Korda 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Medvedev will next face Alexander Bublik, who needed three, thrilling sets to oust Ben Shelton 3-6, 7-6(2) 6-4.
On the women’s side, top seed Iga Swiatek steamrolled into the quarterfinals, dismissing Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-1, 6-0.
Swiatek will next face Beatriz Haddad Maia, who moved past No. 5 seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-4.
Other women’s winners on the day included No. 8 seed Ons Jabeur and 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
Tuesday’s schedule of play will be highlighted by Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal, Switaek and Alexander Zverev.
Watch all the action live this week from Madrid on Tennis TV.
Get ready for the year’s second Major today, with great tickets to the French Open in Paris. Nadal is set to play his most successful event for perhaps the last time in his career.
