By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Rafael Nadal dropped just four games dismissing Diego Schwartzman to storm into the Indian Wells fourth round.
Photo credit: Getty
Island native Rafael Nadal calls Indian Wells one of his favorite stops on the circuit because he can commune with nature and work on his grass game—golf—when time permits.
The man from Mallorca says cities can sometimes feel claustrophobic.
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Today, Nadal transformed the nation’s second largest tennis stadium into a suffocating stage for Diego Schwartzman.
The second-seeded Spaniard stormed through seven straight games slamming Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-1, to storm into the Indian Wells fourth round.
"Happy by the way that I played," Nadal said. "I did a lot of things well. My serve worked very well, especially in the first set. But during the second, I was doing things well anyway, no?
"So just happy having a match that I suffered in the past against Diego. We know each other well. So it's a positive victory for me. It means that I did the things very well."
Bouncing back from his third-set tiebreaker loss to Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco last month, Nadal played one of his most complete matches of the season raising his 2019 record to 9-2 while improving to 7-0 against the Argentinean.
The left-hander took charge from the first strike serving 63 percent and winning 22 of 27 first-serve points without facing a single break point against one of the sport's most accurate returners.
A ruthless Nadal has permitted just six games in two tournament victories.
The 32-year-old Spaniard will carry a 52-10 career BNP Paribas Open record into his round of 16 meeting with Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic, who swept 14th-seeded Daniil Medvedev, 6-3, 6-2.
A year ago, Schwartzman surprised Nadal snatching the opening set of their Roland Garros quarterfinal before the king of clay roared back for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, win.
Perhaps he was propelled by that memory or Paris, maybe he was just eager to conserve energy for later rounds or possibly planned to hit the links afterward, but an eager Nadal overwhelmed Schwartzman in this rematch.
The depth of the diminutive Argentinean’s drives helped him stay in step with the second seed for seven games.
Dislodging Schwartzman from the baseline with gyrating topspin that bounded shoulder-high on his 5’7” opponent, Nadal streamed forward and drew the netted pass earning the first break for 4-3.
By then, the three-time champion won eight for eight trips to net.
Swinging freely after the break, Nadal served out the opening set in 39 minutes, winning 15 of 19 first-serve points.
Intent on not giving the 17-time Grand Slam champion too many looks at second serves, Schwartzman served 85 percent in the first set and hung tough in baseline rallies. The weight of Nadal’s heavy topspin off the gritty, slow hard court didn’t give the man wearing the white baseball cap much to work with.
The 25th-seeded Schwartzman tried to take more proactive positioning in an effort to get to Nadal’s two-handed backhand. But Nadal was moving beautifully and hammering his forehand with menacing intentions.
Streaking forward again, Nadal tomahawked a high volley scoring his second straight break to start the second set. The Roland Garros champion confirmed the break then immediately ratcheted up the pressure on return again.
The dilemma Schwartzman faced was his inability to dent the Spaniard’s backhand and the damage Nadal caused when he whipped his forehand with aggression. Exchanging a series of slice backhands, Nadal got the forehand he wanted, curled it crosscourt and scored his third straight break for 3-0.
A relentless Nadal refused to relinquish command capping his seventh straight game. Nadal closed in 75 minutes and was pleased by his performance.
"Today I played very well, and take my chances," Nadal said. "I was solid with my serve, and I did a lot of things well, I think. I don't believe is something about Diego. Is something about the way that I played today more than anything."