Nadal cruises in opener
US teen Tiafoe ousts Zverev at Cincinnati
Rafael Nadal cruised to victory in his first match since clinching a return to world No. 1 while Alexander Zverev’s 10- match win streak was halted Wednesday at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters.
Nadal, a 15- time Grand Slam champion who captured his 10th French Open crown in June, defeated Richard Gasquet 6- 3, 6- 4, improving to 15- 0 in ATP matches against the Frenchman.
The 31- year- old Spaniard, who hasn’t lost a set to Gasquet in 10 consecutive meetings since Toronto in 2008, said the victory was crucial after last week’s second- round Montreal exit.
“It was important to win the first match after what happened last week in Montreal,” Nadal said. “I’m happy with the way I played.”
Nadal was assured overtaking Britain’s injured Andy Murray atop the rankings next week when Roger Federer withdrew Monday from Cincinnati with a back injury. He has not topped the rankings since July 2014.
Next for Nadal, who had a first- round bye, is a third- round matchup with 24th- ranked countryman Albert Ramos- Vinolas. Nadal has won their three prior meetings, most recently in April’s Monte Carlo final.
Zverev, coming off titles in Montreal and Washington and seeking his sixth of the year, admitted exhaustion was a factor in his 4- 6, 6- 3, 6- 4 loss to US teen wild card Frances Tiafoe, saying the toll of his extraordinary run caught up with him.
“I’m completely dead right now,” Zverev said. “I’ve been dead for the past two days. I finished the match. I could have easily pulled the plug in the second set.”
For 19- year- old Tiafoe, a second- round loser to the 20- year- old German this year at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, it was his greatest triumph, his first over a top- 10 opponent.
Tiafoe, who next faces US 14th seed John Isner, broke three times to win the second set.
On the women’s side, top- ranked Czech defending champion Karolina Pliskova defeated Russian lucky loser Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6- 2, 6- 3, dropping Dane Caroline Wozniacki from the list of rivals who can overtake her for world No. 1 this week.
Romania’s second- ranked Simona Halep and Ukraine’s fourthranked Elina Svitolina – who ousted compatriot Lesia Tsurenko 6- 1, 6- 4 – could still swipe the top spot for the first time in their careers.
Germany’s third- ranked Angelique Kerber, who lost the top ranking after Wimbledon, lost her chance to reclaim it by falling to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6- 4, 1- 6, 7- 6 ( 13/ 11). “It’s a tough lose,” Kerber said. Makarova struggled with leg cramps before winning on her eighth match point chance, improving to 5- 0 this year against top- five foes. She faces US wild card Sloane Stephens next.
Australian 48th- ranked qualifier Ashleigh Barty upset ninth- ranked American Venus Williams 6- 3, 2- 6, 6- 2.
Seven- time Grand Slam champion Williams, this year’s Wimbledon and Australian Open runner- up, will rest before the US Open.
“I’m going to take a break and have a rest and just go big,” Williams said.