Rafa takes calm route to victory

THE temptation may have been to turn over to Court One to see whether a man really could moan his way into Wimbledon’s fourth round. A great many will have reached for that red button, too.

But those who stayed with Centre Court saw a different way to win. A calmer way, with Rafael Nadal’s display of relentless dominance ensuring the calendar Grand Slam remained a target.

Nadal let his tennis do the talking last night, playing like a man with a dinner reservation in Wimbledon Village. The second seed won 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, taking the first set in 27 minutes. Lorenzo Sonego put up more of a fight the longer this match went on, though the result felt inevitable. It was not the most entertaining for the everyman — certainly not as unpredictable as watching Nick Kyrgios on his nearby court — but then Nadal isn’t one for controversy.

As heated as it got was when Nadal and Sonego had a few words, the Italian’s loud and late grunting seemingly getting on the nerves of the Spaniard.

‘Not spicy at all,’ Nadal said afterwards of their 30-second conversation at the net. ‘Now I feel really bad if I bothered him, so I’m very sorry for that.’

After holding his serve for 1-4 down in the second set, Sonego raised his arms to receive the acclaim of a crowd that had suddenly sided with him, as they looked to get their money’s worth. Nadal took the second set 6-2 regardless.

With Nadal leading 4-2 in the third set Sonego complained to French umpire Renaud Lichtenstein that it was too dark to play. The roof was closed and once under way, Sonego broke Nadal but was then broken himself, a small squabble about the Italian’s grunting ensuing.

It was not bad enough to distract the 36-year-old Nadal from gunning for glory still.