Sluggish Nadal loses in Ohio
Right from the start, Rafael Nadal was running on empty.
Nadal showed the effects of his long layoff from a wrist injury, losing to Croatia’s Borna Coric, 6-1, 6-3, at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.
Nadal was sluggish and well off the mark on his shots and had a trainer visit between games to check his shoulder and elbow, which were feeling the effects of a lot of tennis at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and two days in the Cincinnati area’s heat and humidity.
The upset left only one member of the Big Four still in the running. Andy Murray beat Kevin Anderson, 6-3, 6-2, on Thursday night to win his career-best 20th match in a row despite a head cold.
Defending champion Roger Federer and topranked Novak Djokovic are sitting out the tournament because of injuries.
Steve Johnson also advanced to the quarterfinals and put himself in position to become the top American in the ATP rankings heading into the U.S. Open.
Johnson beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-3, 7-6 (6), and raised his index finger in celebration. He’ll move into the ATP’s top spot next week, knocking John Isner out of the slot that he’s held every week since July 29, 2013. Isner lost in the second round in Cincinnati.
Second-seeded Stan Wawrinka lost to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4, 6-4.
In the women’s bracket, Karolina Pliskova became the first woman to reach the quarterfinals, defeating Misaki Doi, 7-5, 6-3.
Second-seeded Angelique Kerber moved into the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Barbora Strycova. She’ll end Serena Williams’ streak of 183 consecutive weeks at No. 1 if she wins the tournament.
Rested after the Olympics, Rafa Cabrera Bello shot a seven-under-par 63 in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., for a share of the first-round lead with Kevin Na.
Luke Donald, Brandt Snedeker, Derek Fathauer, New Zealand Olympian Danny Lee and Peter Malnati shot 65. Donald made a hole-in-one on the 16th.
Turner Field, the home of the Atlanta Braves and the 1996 Olympics, will get its “third life” when Georgia State University converts it to a college football stadium, Atlanta city leaders said.