Nadal into fourth round of Madrid Open

Spain's Rafael Nadal won his third consecutive match at the Madrid Open when he defeated Pedro Cachin 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 on the afternoon of April 29.

Nadal could have ended the match earlier if he had not made so many unforced errors in the second set tie-break. This was a set in which Nadal overcame many difficulties, reclaiming the break-point in game 10, then equalizing 4-4 from a 1-4 deficit in the tie-break. Cachin, with his tenacious play behind the baseline, took advantage of his senior's mistakes in the nerve-wracking series to win the second set and drag the match into a deciding set.

Cachin (right) congratulates Nadal after the match. Photo: Reuters — Cachin (right) congratulates Nadal after the match. Photo: *Reuters*

Madrid fans, the coaching staff and many members of Nadal's family were worried when the Spaniard sat down before the third set. Fitness has been a major problem for the "King of Clay" since the beginning of the season, when he often ran out of energy and gave up in difficult situations.

But Nadal showed a different side in this match. He started strongly in the third set, winning two of the first three receiving games. Despite his inconsistent serve, Nadal exploited Cachin's weak movement to finish in the two corners of the court. He also often attacked the second serve of his Argentine opponent, who is not strong on the serve.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion maintained a one-game lead before capitalizing on another break point in game nine to close out the deciding set 6-3. The set lasted 52 minutes, five minutes longer than the first set Nadal won 6-1. The 37-year-old had his first match lasting more than three hours in two years.

"I did some good things, some not so good," Nadal said after the match. "I made some mistakes in the third set but tried to be more unpredictable and maybe that changed the match. I'm enjoying the tennis in Madrid and we have to wait and see how we wake up tomorrow."

After the match, Cachin said that meeting Nadal was a dream come true, and asked for the "king of clay"'s shirt. Nadal also warmly responded to his Argentine junior. Nadal's opponent in the fourth round is Jiri Lehecka, a Czech player who has not lost a set since the beginning of the tournament and is the 30th seed. If he overcomes Lehecka, Nadal will likely face Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.

Also advancing to the fourth round of the Madrid Open are notable seeds such as Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz.

Vy Anh

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