In the ATP500 level match of the Mexican Open Acapulco station that ended today, Nadal lost two straight sets and defeated the world's 100th-ranked American Dennis Kudra 6-3, 6-2 to successfully reach the round of 16. This is Nadal's 11th consecutive win of the 2022 season, having previously won seven straight at the Australian Open, and before that, he won the ATP 250 class in Melbourne, Australia, with a three-game win.
Strictly speaking, Nadal is not his strong point in hard court games, as he is nicknamed King of Clay. But in the 2022 season, Nadal showed a super hot state. Today's game was his first since winning his 21st Grand Slam title, and Nadal swept the American Kudra as the tournament's No. 4 seed, showing no signs of rust in form.
With this victory, Nadal also tied his personal season winning streak, the last 11 consecutive wins was in the 2014 season, he won 11 consecutive games, but lost to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final.
After winning, Nadal said: "It was an uplifting game. I started well and the win in straight sets was very good for the boost in confidence. Although my performance also has flaws, I am already satisfied. ”
Nadal showed strong patience and attacking ability when opportunities came. He only conceded four points on the serve in the game, and after a short break, his feel got better and better as the tension cleared.
At the start of the second set, the audience cheered continuously, and although Kudra managed to save his first serve, Nadal's strong attack made him powerless to resist. Nadal's serve did not allow the opponent to get any break points, that is, a strong save. Nadal's signature left-handed spinning ball completely suppressed Kudra, and finally took 1 hour and 13 minutes to sweep the opponent 2-0 on aggregate to advance to the round of 16.
Today's victory is Nadal's 6-game winning streak at Akapur after his 2020 victory. Nadal currently has a record of 21 wins and 2 losses at the Mexico Open, and he also won titles in 2005 and 2013. It is worth mentioning that all of his 21 victories were achieved through two straight sets.
Nadal will next face the "lucky loser" American Stefan Kotzlov, who once trained with Nadal. The American defeated Grigel Dimitrov in the first round, currently ranked 130th in the world by Kotslov, and it is believed that Nadal's defeat of Kotslov is not a big problem.
Nadal is currently in good form, ranked No. 5 in the world, about to turn 36, but there is a hidden danger, he beat Medvedev in a stunning reversal at the Australian Open, which should be super level play. With age and injuries, it is unlikely that Nadal will be able to achieve amazing results in the future. We have to cherish Nadal's game and watch one less game.
The Spanish god of war is indeed mighty, and Nadal's spirit of never giving up and fighting spirit that never dies definitely inspires everyone who watches the ball. Let's look forward to Nadal's better results at the Mexico Open. 【Text/Fighting Jianghu】