By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Playing his first match on the court named after him, Rafael Nadal rolled Rogerio Dutra Silva, 6-1, 6-2, scoring his sixth straight win in Barcelona.
Photo credit: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell
Dancing near the doubles alley, Rafael Nadal drove a twisting topspin forehand that dived down on an acute angle freezing his startled opponent.
That jolting strike prompted Rogerio Dutra Silva to join the crowd applauding Nadal’s audacious application of angle.
Watch: Rafa’s Record
Playing his first match on Pista Rafa Nadal, the nine-time Barcelona champion commanded the court winning six straight games to show Dutra Silva the door, 6-1, 6-2.
It is Nadal’s six straight victory.
Three days after Nadal captured his record 50th clay-court crown and unprecedented 10th Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters—becoming the first man to win the same tournament 10 times—he overwhelmed his 69th-ranked Brazilian opponent.
Launching his quest for a 10th Barcelona title by taking the traditional walk through the crowd to enter his home court, Nadal spent much of the next 74 minutes giving his veteran opponent a guided tour of the surroundings.
The third-seeded Spaniard will face big-serving South African Kevin Anderson for a quarterfinal spot. Nadal has won all three of their prior meetings, which have all been contested on hard courts. Anderson swept four-time finalist David Ferrer, 6-3, 6-4, yesterday.
The service line is a measuring stick for Nadal’s confidence.
When he’s driving heavy topspin that soars over the service line and dive bombs deep near the baseline he presents a brutal clay-court challenge. When Nadal lacks confidence he pulls off the ball sending spinny, shallow shots that can sit up near the service line.
Depth and confidence were not issues today.
The 33-year-old Brazilian opened with a double fault then got a glimpse of the harsh rally reality he would face withstanding a 25-shot rally with Nadal hammering away at his one-handed backhand for much of a physical exchange.
Curling a crosscourt forehand deep into the corner, Nadal rattled out a backhand error breaking for 2-0 and establishing a pattern of topspin torment for his veteran opponent.
The service line is a measuring stick for Nadal’s confidence.
When he’s driving heavy topspin that soars over the service line and dive bombs deep near the baseline he presents a brutal clay-court challenge. When Nadal lacks confidence, he pulls off the ball sending spinny, shallow shots that can sit up near the service line.
Swinging freely from the start, Nadal cornered his veteran opponent with a barrage of crosscourt drives before ripping a rope down the line breaking at love for 5-1.
It took Nadal just 28 minutes to roll to a one set lead.
The reigning champion won 16 of 21 points played on his serve in the set.
Shaking it off, Dutra Silva amped up the pace of his shots and the volume on his grunt.
Striking with a scream, the Brazilian banged an inside-out forehand for double break point. Stepping inside the baseline, Dutra Silva jammed another deep drive jarring an error from a defensive Nadal to break for 2-0 with a firm “Vamos!”
Roused back into action, Nadal muted the uprising breaking right back at love in the third game.
Though Nadal did not drop another game the rest of the match, credit Dutra Silva for sheer scrappiness.
Running around his backhand, Nadal was nearly in the doubles alley when he unleashed an inside-out forehand at such a sharp angle it dotted the intersection of the service line and sideline. A frozen Dutra Silva applauded the nine-time Roland Garros champion’s audacious angle that helped him hold for 4-2.
That shot was a prelude to an eye-popping sequence that saw Nadal’s exquisite hands and explosive athleticism. Carving out a drop volley, he retreated rapidly launching himself for a high backhand smash making the toughest shot in tennis look like a comfortable bounce.
Dodging a break point when Dutra Silva missed a mid-court ball, Nadal slid a serve down the middle closing a 74-minute conquest.