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Nadal the ‘pirate’ sinks Taiwanese challenger
Beijing, 14 September 2005 - With his trademark “pirate” pants safely back after a case of international lost luggage, Spanish superkid and top seed Rafael Nadal got down to business on Wednesday, winning his opening match at the China Open.
The world No. 2, ranked behind Swiss superman Roger Federer, advanced after waiting two days to play by defeating Wang Yeu Tzuoo of Taiwan 6-2, 6-4.
Nadal, crowned French Open champion last June, is aiming for a tenth title of the season and hopes to lift only his second hard court crown.
But the 19-year-old Spaniard struggled with form midway through before taking the win in just under 90 minutes. The opening round contest was delayed until the tournament’s third day because Wang was wrapping up a Challenger title victory in Istanbul.
Nadal admitted that his concentration wavered as he played his first event since losing in the third round of the US Open. “At the start, I was playing better than at the Open,” said the Spaniard, who was defeated by American James Blake in New York.
“But then I lost concentration in the second set. That’s probably because it was too easy. My confidence was low after the US Open, but I’m hoping for a few wins here to help me get it back.”
Nadal produced 17 winners and only four unforced errors.
“It was the moment everyone had been waiting for and Nadal didn’t disappoint,” said tournament director Ekkehard Rathgeber, who is also Chief Operating Officer of TOM Group Limited, an associate of Hutchison Whampoa Limited.
“His hard-hitting style eventually wore down Wang and he gave the spectators a fine display of top-class tennis. Wang put up a fight in the second set, but Nadal unleashed a series of powerful ground stroke winners that proved too much in the end.”
Nadal’s compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero booked a Friday quarter-final against third-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina, who hammered Israeli qualifier Amir Hadad 6-4, 6-0.
After fighting through the first set, Nalbandian, a former Wimbledon finalist, dominated in the second to get off court in less than an hour at the Beijing Tennis Centre.
“I played better today than yesterday,” said the third seed, who opened with a win over Dane Kristian Pless. ”I hope to keep this going.
“I played well at the start of the match, but I didn’t convert some of the break points I had in the first set. But once I broke at 5-4, everything went perfectly.”
2002 Wimbledon finalist Nalbandian has reached the last eight in three of four Grand Slam events this year – Melbourne, Wimbledon and New York. Hadad was unable to notch a third ATP win on the season after defeating Belgian Dick Norman in the first round.
Ferrero, a former world No. 1 whose game has fallen on hard times over the past two seasons, came up a winner as he put out Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
The California-based Russian ended Tim Henman’s Wimbledon run in the second round this summer, but was unable to reproduce any heroics in his loss to Ferrero.
A third Spaniard and former Roland Garros winner Carlos Moya staged a comeback to oust Stefan Koubek of Austria 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Moya improved to 29-17 this season as he looks for a second title in 2005.
He will play Friday against fourth-seeded Swede Thomas Johansson, who beat 2004 Finnish quarter-finalist Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-4.
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Released on behalf of TOM Group and the China Open by Two Up Front - Asia’s sports PR specialists.