PARIS – Spain’s Rafael Nadal defeated Marton Fucsovics of Hungary to reach the second round of the 2024 Olympic tennis tournament, while China’s female players also progressed in the singles.
Cheered on by the crowd, Nadal secured another victory at Roland Garros, beating Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in two and a half hours.
Although the Hungarian once led 3-2 in the third set, Nadal displayed his tenacity to clinch the victory, Xinhua news agency reported.
“It was a pleasure to play against Rafa (Nadal). His fighting spirit is still at the top. He is not at his best level of play, but if he has a good day, he can beat anybody,” Fucsovics said afterwards.
“I started playing very well in the first set, and then I lost the rhythm on court, lost a little bit of the focus and intensity.
“When that happens, the opponent starts to play better, and then I was in trouble,” said the 38-year-old Spaniard, who has claimed 14 French Open titles at Roland Garros.
“But I’m happy for the victory – it means a lot to keep going and have the chance to play again tomorrow,” Nadal added.
The victory paves the way for a blockbuster showdown today where Nadal will play against his long-time rival Novak Djokovic who has 24 Grand Slam titles – two more than the Spaniard.
“It’s always super special to play against Djokovic. But the difference is normally we have been playing for finals or semi-finals. This is a second round,” Nadal said.
“It’s true that every single match I played against Djokovic, or almost every single match, I was in a different situation than I am today. That makes it much more difficult for me.
“I’m more unpredictable now, but I always have hope, I always believe, and I want to give my best,” Nadal noted.
Also on Sunday, all female players from China reached the second round.
22-year-old Wang Xinyu claimed a quick victory, beating Tamara Korpatsch of Germany 6-2, 6-1 in around one hour.
Wang Xiyu, playing on the court next to her compatriot, also advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Czech player Linda Noskova, while Yuan Yue achieved a hard-fought victory of 7-5, 6-7(0), 6-2 against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
“It was a long game. I feel like I gave it my best shot. No matter what the result is, I can accept it, because I think I’ve played my everything. I think it’s my best match on clay so far this year,” said Yuan.
Zheng Qinwen, the tournament’s sixth seed brought China’s tennis team its fourth victory of the afternoon, defeating Sara Errani from Italy 6-0, 6-0.
China’s sole male player, Zhang Zhizhen who was suffering from dizziness and a headache, lost to the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac in three sets. – July 29, 2024