Rafael Nadal advanced to the third round of
the 2016 Italian Open on Wednesday with a win over Philipp
Kohlschreiber. The King of Clay won in straight sets, defeating the
world’s No.26 player 6-3 6-3.
The match was Nadal’s first since losing to
Andy Murray in the Madrid Open semifinals last week. Nadal is hoping to
win his third tournament of the year, having already earned victories in
Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
The win sets up a third-round match with Nick
Kyrgios. Kyrgios is ranked No.20 in the world, and has already beaten
Salvatore Caruso and Milos Raonic in Rome.
“I’m hitting well with my backhand. The only thing I need is to hit my forehand like I did today,” Nadal said after the match.
“The forehand down the line today worked well, something that I missed a
little bit in Madrid. It’s a very important shot for me.”
Nadal and Kyrgios have yet to meet in 2016, but there could be some bad blood between the two players. Last August, The New York Post
reported that Nadal refused to play with Kyrgios in doubles at a
charity event. Nadal denied the report, saying he had no issue with the
Australian.
It’s been nearly two years since Nadal and
Kyrgios last met. Kyrgios upset the current No.5 ranked player in the
world at Wimbledon in 2014.
Potentially awaiting Nadal is a quarterfinals match with Novak Djokovic, as well as a semifinals match against Murray.
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