Nadal overcomes weather to go through in French Open
Rafael Nadal was made to wait to book his place in the second round of the French Open after a rain delay, but he eventually beat Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
Nadal cut a frustrated figure at times throughout the match, often raising his voice in the direction of his coaches and staring down the court at his opponent in almost disbelief, the Daily Express reported.
He was far from his best but the world No. 1 knows how to do just enough in these kind of matches and managed to open up a two-set lead.
However, disaster struck on Monday night – or at least, the weather did. The heavens opened and forced play to be suspended for a day.
Rain earlier on Tuesday once again threatened to delay the game even further but the pair eventually got back on to Philippe Chatrier.
And the Spaniard quickly made up the 0-3 deficit in the third set to draw level.
But Bolelli would not go away easily, almost breaking Nadal in the eighth game before forcing a tie-break in which he blew four set points and saved two match ones before the Spaniard finally made it through.
Garbine Muguruza saw off Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6(0), 6-2 in a rain-disrupted battle of former champions to reach the second round on Tuesday.
The Spanish third seed, who lifted the Suzanne-lenglen Cup in 2016, dropped serve twice in the opening set but easily prevailed in the tiebreak, Reuters reported.
She broke early in the second set and this time did not let her guard down against 2009 champion Kuznetsova, who is 43rd in the WTA rankings after returning to the tour only in March following a wrist injury.
The Russian saved a first match point with a passing shot, Muguruza sent a backhand long on the second, but Kuznetsova bowed out after sending a forehand way too long on the third.
Muguruza next faces French wildcard Fiona Ferro.