Rafa Nadal advanced to the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells with his victory against Daniel Evans , number 29 in the ATP , in two sets with a result of 7-5 and 6-3 in an hour and 43 minutes of meeting. The Spaniard recovered from a difficult start against a demanding rival who showed a high level in central defender. With the elimination of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, the man from Manacor remains the main favorite of the tournament. His next rival will be the winner of the duel between Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka.
Rafa Nadal and Daniel Evans jumped onto the center court of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells in the second round of the day, they did so after the surprise elimination of Daniil Medvedev , top seed, at the hands of a Gael Monfils who will now challenge Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16. After the scare experienced against Sebastian Korda, who flirted with kicking him out of California, Nadal faced the duel against the Briton, number 29 in the ATP, as a new opportunity to extend his impeccable path against a player he had already beaten in the two previous ones .
The Spaniard comfortably took the first game on serve to start off with the initiative in the match. Nadal soon found that his rival offered him more pace than Korda, but also a demanding level that made him face two break balls. The Balearic saved the first with a direct serve with the second service, but in the second he crashed his right into the net and Evans went to the first break of the match with a favorable 1-2.
The good news was that there was time to get serve back, but Evans was unwilling to concede any respite and continued with his volleying display. With 2-3 and 40-30 on the scoreboard, Nadal looked for the return deuce , but his right attack went into the corridor. Evans agreed, who saw how the 2-4 went up on the scoreboard and came out unscathed in another game.
in search of rhythm
Nadal continued with his script, added his third game with a love service and waited for his moment: a winning return to the corner gave him his first break ball. Evans tried to save it, but the ball crashed into the tape and after a slight suspense about where it would bounce, the ball stayed in his field, leading the score to 4-4.
What a point 🤯
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— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 14, 2022
With his service, Nadal was ahead on the scoreboard, a moment he celebrated as a small victory. And it is that Evans was offering a great level, ready to collect the second victim of the day on center court. The Balearic raised a new break ball before securing the tiebreak, which he did not need to reach because he broke at the right time to close the first set (7-5) in almost an hour of play.
The improvement in Nadal’s sensations was also visible at the beginning of the second set, which he premiered with his service with a blank game. In addition, an Evans rod meant a break from the beginning for the Balearic, a generous income but that did not invite relaxation. The Briton warned the Spaniard in the fifth game, attacking from the right and forcing Nadal to lift a break ball to make it 4-1 in a game that lasted eight minutes.
Nadal took his next turn of serve with a blank game, to remove all the tension and face the rest with the first opportunity to close the match. Evans held on to the court without giving up any points, but the Balearic resorted to his service to sentence the match (7-5 and 6-3). With certain difficulties, but overcoming two important obstacles, Nadal is already in the round of 16 at Indian Wells, where Shapovalov or Opelka await him.
