Top seed Rafael Nadal has been eliminated from the Cincinnati Open tonight after losing in straights sets to Nick Kyrgios. The young Aussie defeated our champ 6-2, 7-5 in one hour and 20 minutes to move into the last four of the tournament.
Kyrgios had 10 aces to Rafa’s four, while winning 86 per cent of his first-serve points to Rafa’s 69 per cent and 52 per cent against 30 per cent on the second ball.
After the match, Rafa said:
He obviously is a tough match always. Nick is a great player, but I played poorly. I started the match well and then I played a very bad game in the second set when he broke me. I played some good points. He had some mistakes and I was able to be back in the match. And then I played a terrible game. So it was a bad match for me. Congrats to him. That’s it.
I love this tournament so much. It is improving every year. But I don’t know why I don’t find my rhythm here. It is tough for me to compete well here. But I’m going to keep trying next year.
The defeat marks a second premature elimination for Rafa in the space of a week, having suffered a third-round loss to Denis Shapovalov in the Rogers Cup last Thursday.
Despite the loss, Rafa will move back to No. 1 in the ATP rankings next week for the first time since 2014, before a series of injuries affected his game.
To be No. 1 after all the things I’ve been going through the last couple years is something unbelievable. For me, it’s an amazing achievement.
After the match, Rafa wore a ribbon honoring the victims of the attack in Barcelona.
A tragedy. The feeling that you’re not safe nowhere – that’s terrible. It’s very sad and I’m very, very sorry about what happened. To all the victims, the families, friends – all my support.
Sources: ATP, AP
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I think it’s LGBT.
Audacious response.
RAFA ROCKS #1
It’s nothing new that Rafa’s problems are more mental than anything else. It’s been like that for a few years now. Very very sad but as I’ve said before, the mental issue has to be singled out and addressed separately. Maybe hire someone to help him for that particular problem. Even when he is playing well that phase is short lived. If something goes wrong – however small – he falls apart and that cannot go on.
It’s such a great pity because this year he’s been given so many opportunities and could have capitalized.
Hope he and others in his team recognize this and do something about it.
All the best my Rafa!
VAMOS
Now that Rafa is out, I was rooting for David but Nick won. I thinks it’s his first Masters final.
RAFA ROCKS