Nadal eyes spot in US Open round of 16
Rafael Nadal takes to the court against countryman Nicolas Almagro in the third round of competition at the US Open. The World No. 3 looks to book a place among the last 16 on Sunday.
World No. 3 Rafael Nadal returns to action Sunday afternoon, set for his fourth career meeting against compatriot and 32nd seed Nicolas Almagro. Nadal holds a 3-0 lifetime advantage over Almagro, having captured all three victories without dropping a set. The 23-year-old last defeated his elder countryman at the 2008 French Open, earning a comprehensive straight-sets win in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
Sunday afternoon’s match marks the first time Nadal and Almagro will do battle on a hard-court.
Nadal came through his second-round clash with Nicolas Kiefer Friday night, withstanding a strong effort from the veteran German in the second set. The third seed, who captured the opening set 6-0, held on to win in four sets after nearly three hours of play, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Spaniard remains on track to secure his fourth consecutive round of 16 berth since his US Open debut in 2003.
Almagro survived a difficult second-round match against Robby Ginepri on Friday, battling through a rash of unforced errors to notch a victory in five sets. The 32nd seed, who combined with the American to gift a total of 135 unforced errors during the contest, rallied to advance to the third round in three hours and 35 minutes, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The 24-year-old has yet to reach the US Open round of 16 in four previous attempts.
