On April 16, local time, the first round of the ATP 500 Barcelona station was contested. Twelfth champion Rafael Nadal is back on clay after a 681-day absence. In the first round, Nadal defeated Italian rising star Corboli in straight sets and successfully advanced to the next round.
In the fourth game of the first set, Nadal broke serve first and took a 3-1 lead. In the sixth game, Nadal missed four break points on the opponent's serve. In the eighth game, Nadal broke again in the opponent's unbreakable game and won the first set 6-2.
In the second set, Nadal broke in consecutive breaks to take a 2-0 lead. The opponent broke back in the third game, and then Nadal broke again in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead over Koboli. In the ninth game, Nadal successfully held serve in the tiebreaker and won the second set 6-3.
In a match that lasted one hour and 25 minutes, Nadal made a comeback with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over world number 63 Koboli. Nadal, who made it to the next round, will face fourth seed De Minaur across the net for a place in the round of 16.