Article

  • Nadal finally turns back pesky Phau

    8/26/08 12:14 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - Rafael Nadal needs almost three hours to put away qualifier Bjorn Phau. He is joined in the U.S. Open second round by Gael Monfils.

    Rafael Nadal d. Bjorn Phau 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(4)

    Phau was advertised as one of the fastest men in tennis--along with Nadal--and the German qualifier sure lived up to that billing. Much to the delight of a packed house in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Phau made spectacular scramble after spectacular scramble and just would not go away; not even when his game slipped a bit in the first-set tiebreaker or when he got broken at 2-3 in the second. Phau dropped serve again at 4-4 in the third, but broke Nadal for the first time in the match for 5-5. Another tiebreaker was needed to decide things, and once again Nadal's game held up fine under the pressure whereas his opponent could not sustain the same level he had been showing throughout the afternoon. After two hours and 59 minutes, Nadal finally booked his place in the second round. Nadal will have to cut down on his unforced errors (35) as the tournament progresses.

    Rafael Nadal has no doubt that his tennis is still at a top level.


    Rafael Nadal says his intensity was not at a peak in opening win.

    Rafael Nadal says staying mentally focussed after his incredible season is tough.


    Gael Monfils d. Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 6-4, 6-1

    It was an all-around impressive start to the U.S. Open for the 32nd-seeded Monfils. He let Cuevas hang around for most of set one, but Monfils finally broke for a 5-4 lead, served out the opening frame of play, and then never looked back. The Frenchman needed just one hour and 34 minutes to advance, and the third set alone took only 18 minutes. Monfils, usually one to hang several yards behind the baseline, did a great job of stepping into the court as the aggressor. He also fired 12 aces (although he double-faulted five times) and won 11 of 14 net approaches. Evgeny Korolev, a straight-set winner over Robin Söderling, will take on Monfils in round two.

    Other Day 1 winners in the first quarter of the draw were No. 7 seed David Nalbandian, No. 25 Philipp Kohlschreiber, and unseeded Viktor Troicki.

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Comments

Glad he survived. The first match is always the most difficult. Hopefully, he will lift his game as the tournament progresses as he always seems to go eg Olympics. He'll most likely face winner of Troiki and Kohlsch match. either of them would pose a challenge as Kohls can play well on a good day and Troiki is hot off the heels of being finalist in that last tournament (can't remember where). Rafa needs to reduce his unforced errors. 35 against Phau, not good.

sstay , 8/26/08 5:03 AM


hallo sstay: dont know if you have picked up on the fact that I will be keeping you all company for the next two weeks. I finally upgraded my subscription to be able to watch USO. Am going to need uppers and downers to get through this as I dont have the technology to record. I agree, that was a rocky start from Rafa. Way too many errors.

ed251137 , 8/26/08 5:26 AM


excellent, Ed! I have it on foxtel but it's during the wee hours of the morning, so I'm recording the matches. will watch this match tonight. At work, I have live scores on to keep track. It's nerve racking but I'm not having my hopes up. the poor boy has been driving himself all year, and carries a ton of expectations as No 1 even though he says he's not feeling the pressure. I'm letting go, Ed, otherwise I'll drive myself to the grave. although may take a couple of days leave next week to sit in front of telly ALL day and watch myself sick - a bit like eating a whole pack of lollies in one hit

sstay , 8/26/08 6:30 AM


sstay: it's called masochism! My cigarette consumption goes up alarmingly when we get to the semis and finals - alcohol doesn't seem to help.

ed251137 , 8/26/08 10:17 AM


i watched this last night. That Phau fellow is tough to beat. chases down EVERY ball. a thrill to watch, chasing impossible lobs, falling, getting up, retrieving, it was pure entertainment. Really likeable guy. I don't think Rafa played too badly, he struggled with returns but that double fault giving Phau the break when serving out match was heart racing.

sstay , 8/27/08 2:00 AM



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