The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal had no problems overcoming his debut at the Mutua Madrid Open, the fourth Masters 1,000 of the season, and entered the second round after forcefully defeating the young American Darwin Blanch this Thursday in two sets 6-1 , 6-0.
The Caja Mágica was eagerly waiting to see one of its idols, if not the greatest, even more surely after his words in advance of the most likely “last time” in the capital and the fact that the emotions he has experienced in this scenario had prevailed over his level and the sensations he had.
The match probably couldn’t be of much use either for the five-time winner of the tournament, who hardly encountered any problematic situations throughout the short hour that the match lasted. Blanch, 16 years old, still showed that he still has a long way to go and did not offer the resistance that could be seen in an opportunity like the one he had in front of him, perhaps gripped by normal nerves.
Even so, the American, raised in the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy from which Carlos Alcaraz emerged, left evidence of a powerful serve and a good forehand, but they did not work out as desired to have demanded more from a Nadal who was too much. comfortable, the complete opposite of what awaits him in the second round against the Australian Alex de Miñaur, his executioner a week ago at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
But there was no emotion from the beginning. Nadal, feted from his jump onto the Manolo Santana court by the public, took the first game thanks to Blanch’s errors, a pattern that would be repeated in almost the entire first set. The American was able to at least make one game, the only one he would savor in the entire match.
After the tough 6-1, the man from Manacor did not relax and even raised his level of tennis, with more ‘winners’ and a ‘drive’ that did a lot of damage to his rival, who did not find a way to get into the match and which, again very soon, was already seen with the slab having two breaks, despite its attempt at greater resistance. To the rest, however, they barely opposed, without any option of breaking, only nine points won and only reaching the ‘deuce’ in two games, one of them the one that put an end to the duel and the joy of the stands that they will be able to enjoy at least once again from the winner of 22 ‘Grand Slams’.
Along with the former world number one, another ‘old rocker’ like Roberto Bautista also qualified for the second round, who won a tough ‘battle’ against the Colombian Daniel Elahi Galán decided in three sets by 7-6(4), 4 -6, 6-1 after more than two hours and 40 minutes. The man from Castellón, in the draw as a ‘lucky loser’, will now face the Russian Karen Kachanov, sixteenth favorite.
On the other hand, another veteran like Barcelona’s Albert Ramos, Bautista’s executioner in the previous phase, could not advance further in the Caja Mágica when he fell to Russian tennis player Pavel Kotov in two sets 6-3, 6-4.