Nadal, battling through a pain on the left knee, at last managed to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open earning a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 first-round victory over inspiring wild-card entry Alun Jones, who made the Spaniard battle a 2 hrs, 45-minute affair. Second-seed Nadal rallied from a service break down in the crucial third set to prevail. Nadal now needs to recover quickly and perform better to confront a playing surface he has not yet mastered.
Meanwhile, his No.1 rival, Roger Federer completely dressed in black outfits, eased forward to his bid for a fourth straight title and put on a dazzling show to bewilder his opponent Chile’s Paul Capdeville 6-1 6-4 6-4.
On the women’s side, Belgian top seed Justine Henin needed just over an hour to defeat Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4 6-0 under gloriously sunny skies.
Former champions Venus and Serena Williams both started slowly before hitting their stride and winning their second-round matches in straight sets. Venus eased past Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-4 6-2 while Serena defeated Italian Maria Elena Camerin 7-5 6-2.
Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic defeated Aravane Rezai of France, 6-3, 6-1 and could probably face Venus in the fourth round.
Via: Bloomberg
