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Nadal begins Madrid farewell with victory over teen Blanch
Rafael Nadal breezed to a straight sets victory over 16-year-old Darwin Blanch to reach the Madrid Open second round on Thursday as he began his farewell appearance in the Spanish capital.
Nadal d. Blanch 6-1 6-0
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 25, 2024
This could be Rafa’s last clay season, but there’s no telling what kind of form he could be in for Roland Garros
We’ve seen him defy the odds time & time again over the years.
✅1st win in Madrid since 2022
Never doubt tennis’ greatest warrior.
🇪🇸❤️🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/VmqvzWu8Xb
The 37-year-old said this week he was not fully fit but demolished his American opponent 6-1, 6-0 in one hour and three minutes as he continues his comeback from injury.
I tuned into the match in the middle of the first set & I’ve already seen Rafa shout bravo & applaud Darwin Blanch’s shots several times.
— TroubleFault (@troublefault) April 25, 2024
The respect Rafael Nadal has for his opponents both on & off the court is one of the largest & most admirable parts of his incredible legacy. pic.twitter.com/f3yKJ12wx7
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, is expecting 2024 to be his final season in tennis and this his last appearance at the Madrid Open.
He made his first competitive appearance since January at the Barcelona Open last week, where he was defeated in the second round by Alex de Minaur.
OLA OLÉ RAFA! 🇪🇦
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) April 25, 2024
Rafael Nadal logically dominates Darwin Blanch, 16 years-old, 6-1 6-0 to launch perfectly his last tournament in Madrid
What did you think of his match? pic.twitter.com/0yNDRKf1uc
The Australian will be Nadal's second round opponent in Madrid too as the Spaniard tries to find form and fitness ahead of Rome and then the French Open, where he is the record 14-time winner.
"I am hoping to do as well as possible and I hope to be competitive against De Minaur," said Nadal.
"For me it has always been a pleasure to play in front of you all... the support I've received here since the first time I played is hard to compare to anywhere else, so I can only say thank you."
Nadal broke in the second game against the overpowered and initially overawed American, ranked 1 028th in the world.
Blanch got on the board in the fourth game but Nadal broke again in the sixth after the youngster drove a forehand into the net.
Blanch saved two break points at the start of the second set but Nadal converted the third to take further control.
The merciless tennis great broke again after an entertaining rally for a 3-0 lead and once more when Blanch went long to make it 5-0.
Nadal served it out, triumphing on his second match point with a powerful serve that Blanch could not control.
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