Alexander Zverev earned his 100th ATP Masters 1000 win Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, moving past Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals in Rome.

The German, who arrived in the Italian capital off the back of a run to the final at the Mutua Madrid Open, won 76 per cent (31/41) of his first-serve points and recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set to eventually triumph after one hour and 50 minutes.

“My performance was better than yesterday. I managed to keep my focus,” Zverev said. “Alex is a great player and he is a great returner, so losing your serve here and there can happen. I need to work on serving out a little more. I tried to stay aggressive. I had to hit my shots quite hard against Alex and it worked out well today.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

The World No. 3 is still aiming to capture his first title of the season, but has now won six of his past seven matches and will aim to improve that record when he plays Chilean Cristian Garin or Croatian Marin Cilic in the last eight. It is the fifth time Zverev has advanced to the quarter-finals at a tour-level event in 2022.

The five-time Masters 1000 champion is making his sixth appearance in the Italian Capital, with his best result at the clay-court tournament a run to the title in 2017.

With his victory, Zverev now leads de Minaur 6-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with this their first meeting on clay. The World No. 22 was trying to reach the quarter-finals at a Masters 1000 event for the first time, after defeating Dusan Lajovic and Tommy Paul earlier this week.

Prize money for this year’s Roland Garros will total €43.6 million, an increase of more than 6.8 percent from pre-pandemic levels (2019), the tournament announced in a press release. 

The men’s and women’s singles champions in Paris will each receive €2.2 million. The first-round losers in the singles draws will earn €62,000, an increase of 35 per cent on 2019 and three per cent on 2021.

The men’s and women’s doubles draws will see an increase of 6.1 per cent compared to 2019, with the winning team earning €580,000.

The year’s second major will be played from 22 May-5 June. Novak Djokovic won the men’s singles title last year, and home favourites Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut triumphed in doubles.

Men’s & Women’s Singles Prize Money

Men’s & Women’s Doubles Prize Money

After losing in the final round of qualifying at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Marcos Giron received a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. The American has taken full advantage at the Foro Italico, where he defeated Alexander Bublik and 12th seed Diego Schwartzman to reach the third round.

Before the former college tennis star faces eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, learn more about Giron’s life off court in this edition of Gamers.

How much do you play video games these days?
To be honest, in the past year, I’ve played a lot less than I did during the pandemic and even pre-pandemic. I play maybe once a week and maybe even less than that, once a month.

I think in part, amazing and I think growing up video games were the anti-social thing to do. But I actually think it’s very social. It’s good being away from home to play online with friends and do something together. I found it great, especially when we were in bubbles and weren’t able to leave the hotel room. It was a fun way to stay engaged.

But since things have opened up and we’re travelling to cool cities, it kind of makes me appreciate being able to go out, visit the cities, have fun and visit other people.

During the pandemic we saw some players start travelling with their PlayStation. How much did you do that?
I travelled with a PlayStation for quite a while. I was doing it when Fortnite came out, so that was probably [around] 2017. Since 2017, through 2020, I was travelling a lot with the PlayStation. I played Fortnite. Call of Duty was a lot of fun. I played God of War, which was pretty epic.

Some guys travel with a PS4 and also a monitor in their suitcase, but I never travelled with a monitor. I just connected with whatever TV there was… I just made do with what it was and honestly it’s really good fun and I still really enjoy doing it. I just haven’t been travelling with my PlayStation. But when I’m back home or somebody else has it, I’ll play.

Is there something to “getting away” by playing video games because you spend so many hours on site? Obviously playing tennis is how you make your living so you have to, but is there something to doing something different?
Absolutely, yes. As a professional tennis player, it’s like we have to do everything we can to maximise our abilities, at least for me. Everyone is so good and the margins are so small. But part of that is also being able to disengage and being able to focus on other things, because if you’re thinking about tennis all day, every day — which I’m thinking about a lot of the time — it’s important to have an outlet.

I think most players have some form of an outlet. I think it’s good and healthy to be able to have that. [Video games] were a great outlet. But for me, I actually feel like the eyes are so important, that in part I’ve been playing a little bit less, because I feel like if I’m just locked in on the screen for so long, my eyes start getting a little blurred and that’s not necessarily the best thing! But I honestly think it’s so amazing.

How much do you follow professional e-sports?
I was watching some streaming, especially when Fortnite came out, to see how these pro gamers play. I haven’t gotten that into e-sports as far as watching it. I’ve seen a few streams on YouTube, but I wouldn’t know who the top players are when it comes to e-sports.

When you were growing up, video games were moreso just for fun. How interesting is it for you to see people make it into a profession?
It is! It’s like me playing tennis. It’s something I’ve done for so long and for those guys, they’ve done it for so long. I think there’s an aspect to it that’s pretty cool, that they’re so good at what they do. I think what they do is unbelievably tough. The time, the mental processing, the time that they have to make decisions, it’s quite impressive.

For me, I play a game for a living also. I play tennis. Maybe it’s more physical, but if I went against them I’d have absolutely no shot.

If you had to pick your three favourite games, what would they be?
The Legend of Zelda. This is actually really tough… It would have to be Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart, one of those two. I would also have to say probably Fortnite. I’ll go Zelda, Mario Kart and Fortnite, even though I think there are a lot of other good ones.

I remember getting the N64. My first games were Zelda and Super Smash Bros. That probably explains it! I also remember getting Xbox for the first time, it was good fun.

For the first time this week at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, all remaining men’s singles competitors will play on the same day. Eight third-round matches fill a packed Thursday schedule, with each of the tournament’s Top 5 seeds still standing.

The 26th ATP Head2Head meeting between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka headlines the Centre Court evening session, with defending champion Rafael Nadal, 2017 champion Alexander Zverev and home favourite Jannik Sinner also in action on the stadium court.

In doubles action, the unlikely first-time pairing of John Isner and Diego Schwartzman take on fifth-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah with a quarter-final place on the line.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

[1] Novak Djokovic (SER) vs. Stan Wawrinka (SUI)

Djokovic leads Wawrinka 19-6 in their rivalry with a 2-0 mark in Rome, including a three-set win in the 2008 final. With a victory on Thursday, the World No. 361 Swiss — who entered the ATP Masters 1000 event with a protected ranking — would become the lowest-ranked player to reach the Rome quarter-finals and to defeat a World No. 1 in a tour-level match since the ATP Tour began in 1990.

Wawrinka won the pair’s last two meetings, in the 2016 US Open final and the 2019 US Open fourth round, with the latter coming by way of a third-set retirement. While the 37-year-old seeks a 25th Masters 1000 quarter-final and a fourth in Rome, Djokovic is bidding for his 89th quarter-final at that level. The Serbian has never failed to reach the quarter-final stage in 16 previous appearances in the Italian capital.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Djokovic must reach the semi-finals this week to retain his place atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — he currently sits at No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he defends 600 points from reaching last year’s Rome final — and will hit 1,000 career wins with a trip to the final.

After earning his first tour-level win in 15 months by beating Reilly Opelka in three sets in the opening round, Wawrinka again went the distance to knock off Laslo Djere on Wednesday. Despite those results, he downplayed his chances against the World No. 1. 

“Novak, it’s going to be tough. A tough challenge for sure,” Wawrinka said in his post-match presser. “I’m not where I want to be yet. I need matches, I need practice, I need to spend time on the fitness. It’s a good challenge to play him, of course.

“I don’t think I’m ready to play at that level yet, but it’s going to be interesting to see. I need to get through those matches the next few months.”

Djokovic, who looked sharp in a straight-sets win over Aslan Karatsev on Tuesday, is seeking his first title in five events this season.

[3] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [13] Denis Shapovalov (CAN)

In an all-lefty clash, Nadal takes on 2020 Rome semi-finalist Shapovalov in a rematch of a third-round epic from last year. The Spaniard saved two match points before clinching a deciding-set tie-break after three hours, 27 minutes on his way to a 10th title in Rome in 2021, and Nadal is prepared for another stern test Thursday as he chases his 100th Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance.

“Last year was a joke, the match that I saved here against him [Shapovalov],” Nadal said after beating Isner in the second round on Wednesday. “[I was] super lucky. I know how dangerous he is. I need to play well, of course. I need to play better than today, but after a while without being on court it is another victory and I have the chance again to play against one of the best players in the world.”

Shapovalov trails Nadal 1-4 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, but the Canadian again pushed Nadal all the way in their only meeting since last year’s Rome classic — a five-set win for the Spaniard in the quarter-finals at January’s Australian Open. Shapovalov’s year has somewhat stalled since that defeat and he is 15-8 for the season, but the 13th seed has already demonstrated his resilience this week by coming through a raucous first-round clash with home favourite Lorenzo Sonego.

[5] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. Jenson Brooksby (USA)

Ruud’s European clay results have been underwhelming by his standards so far this year, with the World No. 10 winning just four matches across four tournaments prior to Rome. That disappointing run was in danger of continuing in the Italian capital when he dropped the opening set to Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday, but the fifth seed stepped up to complete a comeback win as he bids to improve on his 2020 semi-final appearance at the Foro Italico.

Unseeded Brooskby notched an impressive win of his own on Tuesday, taking out David Goffin to reach the third round in just his second clay-court Masters 1000 event. Brooksby has been solid in backing up his breakout 2021 season this year, reaching the final at the Dallas Open, and his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with clay-court force Ruud promises an intriguing spectacle.

Best Of The Rest

Second seed Alexander Zverev seeks his 100th win at the ATP Masters 1000 level in the day’s opening match against Alex de Minaur on Centre Court. The 2017 champion in Rome is also bidding for his fourth quarter-final at the event as he seeks his first title of a 22-8 season. Zverev and de Minaur have exclusively played on hard courts in their six ATP Head2Head meetings, with Zverev leading the series 5-1 and taking their most recent meeting in three sets last year in Vienna.

Home favourite Jannik Sinner, fresh off a three-set battle with fellow Italian Fabio Fognini, plays Filip Krajinovic later on the show court. Both men have been to multiple Masters 1000 quarter-finals, Sinner three times before and the Serbian twice, but neither has been beyond the last 16 in Rome.

On Grand Stand Arena, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Karen Khachanov in the first men’s match on. The Greek, who saved two match points against Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday, is 4-0 against the World No. 24. If he can keep that perfect record intact, Tsitsipas will break a tie with Carlos Alcaraz for 2022 ATP Tour match wins lead with a record of 29-9.

Doubles

Isner and Schwartzman look to make it 2-0 in their new partnership as they take on Cabal and Farah on Court 2. Isner holds an impressive 19-4 doubles record on the year, including Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells (with Jack Sock) and Miami (with Hubert Hurkacz). He also reached the Madrid semis with Hurkacz, earning him a career-high Pepperstone ATP Doubles Ranking of No. 22.

Cabal and Farah reached the Madrid final last week but dropped a Match Tie-break to Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, who eliminated Isner and Hurkacz one round earlier. Koolhof and Skupski are also in action in Rome as they take on Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop for a place in the Rome quarter-finals.

The doubles quarter-final slate will be completed following six matches on Thursday.

Jannik Sinner improved to 4-0 against fellow Italians with a three-set win over Fabio Fognini Wednesday evening at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

In a back-and-forth match that included several dominant stretches from both players, Sinner surrendered a break advantage in the deciding set but pushed over the line with a final surge to earn a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

“It was a tough one for sure. I tried to play my best tennis, especially in the important points,” the 10th seed said in an on-court interview. “In the second set, he raised his level. He played better than me. In the third set it was a little bit of a rollercoaster. Fortunately I’ve done a great job in the final set to manage to break him first, and this for sure was the key today.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Sinner improved to 23-5 on the season as she seeks his fifth quarter-final of the year, while Fognini dropped to 12-9. The 34-year-old has made two clay-court finals in 2022, reaching that stage in Rio de Janeiro and Belgrade. The World No. 13 Sinner moved up one spot to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with the victory and can push all the way to No. 7 with the Rome title. That result would earn him a new career-high in next week’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings, surpassing his previous high of No. 9, first achieved last November.

The 20-year-old enjoyed greater success in short points in the Centre Court matchup, while the veteran Fognini got the better of the longer rallies, including on two break points which he ended with scorching baseline winners. But after a world-class forehand earned him his third break of the match to get back on serve at 3-4 in the decider, Fognini dropped serve behind two double faults, finishing with nine in the match.

That would be the final twist in a topsy-turvy match, as Sinner served it out to love in the ensuing game to match his best result in Rome by reaching the last 16.

“He’s a great friend,” Sinner said of his opponent. “He gave me a lot of confidence when I played with him in Davis Cup. He’s a very special player, like today, he can raise his level incredibly fast.”

Fognini won the first six points of the contest but then lost the next seven as Sinner secured an early break and cruised to the opening set. Fognini then won eight points in a row midway through the second to take a break lead, but needed a brilliant break-point backhand to reclaim the advantage and cap a run of three games against serve.

In the third set, Sinner won 12 straight points to lead 4-1 before Fognini earned the break back. But Fognini’s 39 errors proved too much to overcome as Sinner won eight of the last nine points to prevail.

The ebb and flow of the match was neatly illustrated by the Balance of Power metric. The winner of each set also won out in that statistic, which measures the percentage of shots hit from an attacking position. The greatest margin came in the final set, as shown below.

Sinner advances to Filip Krajinovic on Thursday after the Serbian’s 6-2, 6-4 win over sixth seed Andrey Rublev.

In another thriller, former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka battled past Serbian Laslo Djere 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-4 after two hours and 49 minutes to set a blockbuster clash against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“It’s not the best prize, but it’s always special to play against him,” Wawrinka said in his on-court interview. “I’m not where I want to be yet with my game, with my fitness level, with my mental [game]. I need those matches, so to have a chance to play against the best player, it’s going to be really difficult for me, that’s for sure.

“I’m not ready to compete I think at that level, but it’s what I need. I need those challenges. I need to push myself as much as I can to keep improving.”

Things you LOVE to see 😁

37 y/o @stanwawrinka becomes the lowest-ranked player in the Rome third round since No. 411 Corrado Borroni in 1995!#IBI22 pic.twitter.com/1xbpg0a9MM

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 11, 2022

Wawrinka went 15 months between tour-level wins as he recovered from two left foot surgeries. The Swiss star needed just two days to earn his next victory in Rome.

After rallying from a set and a break down Monday against Reilly Opelka in the first round, the Swiss overcame a break deficit in the deciding set against Djere. Wawrinka was not at his flying best, often choosing to play longer rallies and use his backhand slice to try to gain an advantage. When he did unleash his powerful groundstrokes, they sometimes missed the mark.

But the 37-year-old’s fighting spirit was at its peak. After breaking back for 3-3 in the decider, Wawrinka put his index finger to his head to reflect that. Although Djere played daring tennis — especially on the forehand side — to save three match points, he was unable to dismiss a fourth. The Serbian missed a forehand long and Wawrinka cracked a wide smile as he looked to his team and the fans at the Foro Italico roared their approval.

“Tonight was a big fight. [There was] big support from the fans, it’s always something special,” Wawrinka continued on court. “At my age, after all I’ve done in my career, that’s one of the main reasons why I’m still playing. It’s to get the chance to play in front of the fans.”

In his post-match press conference, Wawrinka expanded on his feelings: “It was tough battle, that’s for sure. Amazing atmosphere. Great to play those matches. That’s exactly what I need.

“I was feeling in general great. I’m happy with the fight, I’m happy [with] what I’ve done, the way I finished. As I say, I need those matches. I need the competition. You cannot practice that feeling. You cannot practice that feeling of nerves, stress, the way you feel during the match, the way the body reacts. It was a bit up and down with my body, but I finished really strong, was feeling much better at the end. I’m happy with that win.”

Marin Cilic had his return game dialed in to upset ninth seed Cameron Norrie 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round. The Croatian broke serve five times to set a meeting with Chilean Cristian Garin, whom he leads 2-0 in ATP Head2Head meetings.

World No. 23 Cilic, who had not won consecutive matches since reaching the Australian Open fourth round in January, is looking to reach a Masters 1000 quarter-final for the first time since Madrid 2019.

American qualifier Marcos Giron scored an upset against 12th seed Diego Schwartzman, taking a 6-1, 7-6(4) decision on Pietrangeli. The World No. 60 reached the Dallas semi-finals in February but had not picked up a main-draw win on the ATP Tour since later that month in Acapulco, until his opening-round victory over Alexander Bublik in Rome snapped a seven-match losing streak.

He advances to face eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in his bid to extend his debut run in the Italian capital.

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies continued their hot streak on the European clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome on Wednesday, when the all-German team ran out a 6-3, 6-3 winner over home wild cards Luca Nardi and Lorenzo Sonego.

The eighth seeds broke the Italians four times to complete a 77-minute second-round win at the ATP Masters 1000 event and reach the quarter-finals in the Italian capital for the first time. They will next face another Italian duo, Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, or Chilean-Croatian pair Julio Peralta and Franko Skugor.

Two-time Roland Garros champions Krawietz and Mies lifted their first tour-level title since October 2020 in Barcelona in April, and backed that triumph up a week later with another crown at their home tournament in Munich. Their first-round win over another Italian pair, Matteo Arnaldi and Francesco Passaro, was their first together in Rome, with the Germans having lost their only previous match at the Foro Italico in 2020.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

There was a big upset in the first-round action taking place on Wednesday as Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara defeated top-seeded pairing Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, 7-6(5), 6-3. Glasspool and Heliovaara saved all three break points they faced on the way to a successful debut in Rome, where singles stars Thanasi Kokkinakis and Frances Tiafoe await in the second round.

There were no such problems for Mutua Madrid Open champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, who moved to 31-7 for the season with an opening 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer. It is the third victory over Arevalo and Rojer this year for seventh-seeded Koolhof and Skupski, who also beat the El Salvadorian-Dutch duo at the Melbourne Summer Set in January and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in April.

In other opening-round matches, Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar sealed a 6-7(2), 6-3, 10-5 win to upset sixth seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, while Houston champions Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beat Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alexander Bublik, 6-4, 6-1.

Stefanos Tsitsipas saved two match points to complete a trilogy of recent wins against Grigor Dimitrov Wednesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. But his third victory over the Bulgarian in as many tournaments, by way of a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4) result, was by far the toughest of the trio.

“Incredible fight. I’m extremely happy I was able to overcome this obstacle,” Tsitsipas said post-match. “Grigor played really well, gave me a hard time on the court.

“Just so many emotions. The fact that I was able to process all of that and come back stronger in the third-set tie-break, it was such a great way to redeem myself after not being able to hold in that last game of the second set.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Tsitsipas served for what would have been his third consecutive straight-sets win in the rivalry but was broken at love as Dimitrov won four straight games and 16 of the set’s last 17 points to force a decider.

In the third, Dimitrov had a match point on return at 4-5 and 5-6. But Tsitsipas saved the first with a bold serve-and-volley play on second serve and the second with a big delivery to send it to a tie-break. After the Greek raced to a 5/0 lead, Dimitrov used a bunted backhand return winner to spark a comeback to 5/4, but Tsitsipas held his nerve on serve to advance to the last 16.

“It’s like playing in the Colosseum,” Tsitsipas said of the atmosphere on Grand Stand Arena. “There’s so much energy coming from the crowd. I think the people that came today to watch the match were so into it… It made for a great atmosphere and a great gladiator kind of environment on the court.”

At his best, the fourth seed used his forehand to open up the court and dictate patterns of play, frequently finishing points at net.

With his 28th victory of the year, Tsitsipas pulled level with 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz atop the season’s match-wins leaderboard. Tsitsipas has now won his past four matches against Dimitrov and five of their six career ATP Head2Head meetings.

A finalist at Roland Garros last year, Tsitsipas this week has moved ahead of Rafael Nadal into fourth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings because the Spaniard drops the 1,000 points he earned by winning last year’s title.

A Rome semi-finalist in 2014, Dimitrov slipped to 15-10 on the season. But the Bulgarian remains on track to reach 30 match wins this season for the first time since 2017, when he finished the year at No. 3. Earlier this month Dimitrov returned to the Top 20 for the first time in almost 12 months.

Tsitsipas next faces Karen Khachanov, a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 winner over 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta earlier on Wednesday.

Rafael Nadal’s bid for an 11th crown at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia enjoyed a smooth start on Wednesday afternoon as the legendary Spaniard blunted the big-serving John Isner to seal a 6-3, 6-1 second-round win at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Nadal has been untouchable at the Foro Italico for much of his career and he immediately looked settled in his return games against Isner, countering the American’s huge serve with his trademark spinning groundstrokes. Although the unseeded Isner competed well, he struggled to recover any momentum after letting slip two break points at 3-3 in the opening set as Nadal dominated the second to move to a 69-7 match record in the Italian capital.

Nadal identified his hold in the seventh game of the first set as the key turning point in his eighth tour-level win over Isner. “I finished better than how I started, without a doubt,” said the Spaniard after the match. “The beginning of the match was not good for me.

“He had some chances on the return and had two break points. [He had] two not difficult balls so I was in his hands at that moment. I was lucky that he missed those shots and then I was able to break. Then the match changed, of course. With the first set on the board, and having the break in the first game of the second [set], everything changed.”

The win continued Nadal’s comeback to competitive action after he reached the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open last week following a six-week layoff due to a rib injury. Having lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in Spain, the win over Isner ensured Nadal has still never lost consecutive matches on clay, with Wednesday’s victory taking him to 44-0 in matches following a defeat on the surface.

An evenly matched opening set hinged on the seventh and eighth games, as Nadal saved two break points to hold before breaking the American for 5-3. He served out to clinch the set as Nadal began to up his level to the delight of a passionate Italian crowd.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Nadal’s return game continued to look in good shape against former World No. 8 Isner, and the 36-time Masters 1000 champion broke the World No. 27 three times in the second set to complete a comfortable 76-minute victory. The win was built on relentless consistency from Nadal, who made just three unforced errors in the match.

“I just focussed on myself,” added Nadal when asked about his second-set improvement. “I focussed on trying to keep going. I knew I had to do things better than I had done, and I need to practise to try and do it better and better.”

The Spaniard next faces another North American star in the third round, 13th seed Denis Shapovalov. The pair met in a memorable semi-final in Rome last year, when Nadal saved two match points before prevailing over the Canadian in a deciding-set tie-break after three hours, 27 minutes.

“Last year was a joke, the match that I saved here against him,” said Nadal. “[I was] super lucky. I know how dangerous he is, I need to play well, of course. I need to play better than today, but after a while without being on court it is another victory and I have the chance again to play against one of the best players in the world.

“I need to build things again after a tough stoppage and that’s what I am trying now. I just need to stay with the right attitude, and let’s see if I am able to make that happen.”