Rafa keeps preparations on track with Melbourne title
MELBOURNE: Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open preparations remain on track after he beat American Maxime Cressy 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in the final of the Melbourne Summer Set yesterday.
Nadal decided to play the lower level tournament to get some match practice after missing much of 2021 with injury and Covid.
He has not been totally fluent this week and was pushed hard by the American qualifier, but Nadal had too much experience for the 24-year-old serve-volleyer.
It was Nadal’s 89th title on the ATP tour and the win ensures he has won at least one singles crown every year for the past 19 years.
Nadal will be aiming to break the record for most Grand Slam singles titles at this month’s Australian Open.
He is currently tied on 20 titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, but with Federer injured and Djokovic in doubt because of visa issues, Nadal has a chance to go one ahead of his great rivals.
Nadal was playing his first tournament since August after injury and then contracting Covid.
BARTY IMPRESSES
World No.1 Ashleigh Barty was in imperious form yesterday as the Australian handed Elena Rybakina a 6-3, 6-2 defeat at Memorial Drive to win the Adelaide International and claim the 14th WTA title of her career.
Barty, who won the event in 2020, dominated against the 22-year-old seventh seed from Kazakhstan to win in just over an hour, as she hits form a little more than a week ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
“The work that I do with my team behind the scenes puts me in the best possible position to play good tennis time, and time again each and every time we’re asked,” Barty told reporters. “I certainly feel pretty good coming into the summer.”
In the men’s Adelaide ATP 250 event, French top seed Gael Monfils defeated second-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4 for his 11th tour title.
CANADA CLAIM ATP CUP
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime stormed through a gripping clash with Spanish star Roberto Bautista Agut for a massive victory that earned his country a maiden ATP Cup title yesterday.
Their Sydney showdown followed Denis Shapovalov ending Pablo Carreno Busta’s winning start to the season 6-4, 6-3 to set the scene for a crunch second singles rubber.
World No.11 Auger-Aliassime stepped up to down battling 19thranked Bautista Agut 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 and seal the title for Canada.