US Open 2016: Rafael Nadal cruises into third round under new US Open roof
Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:47:am Sports
5.5K By sosa hills
Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal raced away with the first seven games of the match to set up a straight-set victory over Italian veteran Andreas Seppi in the second round of the US Open.
Nadal's 6-0, 7-5, 6-1 win was also marked by the historic closure of the retractable roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time in a match played at Flushing Meadows.
"It is great to be the first player to play with the roof closed, in the competition, because I was the first player to hit in the Centre Court with the roof closed," said Nadal after the match.
"There is no big difference. With the roof open there is no wind at all, so it's not a big change. And the roof is so high you don't feel that you are closed... It's an unbelievable court."
Nadal at times appeared to lack confidence with his forehand but at other times produced some of his signature forehand winners.
Meanwhile, American qualifier Ryan Harrison has pulled off the biggest upset so far at the ongoing US Open, stunning fifth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 in a second-round tennis action.
Raonic appeared to be in total control when he went up in the third set, but leg cramps began severely hampering his movement and allowed Harrison to climb back into the match.
The 120th-ranked American closed out the third set and then rolled to an easy victory in the fourth against his hobbled opponent.
Raonic, one of the best servers on the ATP Tour, struck 18 aces but also committed a whopping 15 double-faults. Harrison managed to win the match despite 12 double-faults over the course of the contest.
In other men's results, mercurial Frenchman Gael Monfils, the No.10 seed, continued to showcase a more mature on-court attitude in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Czech's Jan Satral.
Nadal's 6-0, 7-5, 6-1 win was also marked by the historic closure of the retractable roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time in a match played at Flushing Meadows.
"It is great to be the first player to play with the roof closed, in the competition, because I was the first player to hit in the Centre Court with the roof closed," said Nadal after the match.
"There is no big difference. With the roof open there is no wind at all, so it's not a big change. And the roof is so high you don't feel that you are closed... It's an unbelievable court."
Nadal at times appeared to lack confidence with his forehand but at other times produced some of his signature forehand winners.
Meanwhile, American qualifier Ryan Harrison has pulled off the biggest upset so far at the ongoing US Open, stunning fifth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 in a second-round tennis action.
Raonic appeared to be in total control when he went up in the third set, but leg cramps began severely hampering his movement and allowed Harrison to climb back into the match.
The 120th-ranked American closed out the third set and then rolled to an easy victory in the fourth against his hobbled opponent.
Raonic, one of the best servers on the ATP Tour, struck 18 aces but also committed a whopping 15 double-faults. Harrison managed to win the match despite 12 double-faults over the course of the contest.
In other men's results, mercurial Frenchman Gael Monfils, the No.10 seed, continued to showcase a more mature on-court attitude in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Czech's Jan Satral.
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