Nadal wins first match back, into Vina del Mar quarters

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Nadal wins first match back, into Vina del Mar quarters

2/7/13 5:02 AM | Ricky Dimon
Rafael Nadal's long-awaited comeback begins with a win on Wednesday in Vina del Mar. Nadal takes care of Federico Delbonis to reach the quarterfinals.

This wasn't your average second-round win at a 250-point tournament.

To much anticipation and fanfare, Rafael Nadal kicked off his comeback by beating Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-2 at the VTR Open on Wednesday evening. Nadal needed one hour and 27 minutes to book a spot in the quarterfinals of his first tournament since Wimbledon.

To say the top-seeded Spaniard got off to a inauspicious start would be an understatement. He dropped serve in the opening game of the match and quickly fell behind 0-2, 0-30. Just in time, however, Nadal righted the ship and reeled off six of the next seven games to snag the opening set.

From there it was all over for Delbonis, who was facing a monumental task in what was by far the most noteworthy match of his career. The 22-year-old Argentine lost four consecutive games to begin the second before finally salvaging two relatively meaningless holds. Nadal held easily for 5-2 then survived a deuce game on serve to wrap up the proceedings.

"I'm happy to play a singles match after so long," said the world No. 5, who recorded four aces without double-faulting. "I need days and time to get my game back, but so far the feeling on court is great. For now the most important thing is to spend as much time as possible on court."

Next up for Nadal is either Daniel Gimeno-Traver or Albert Montanes.

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Comments

It was obvious that Delbonis thought he had a chance to make a name for himself. He was serving well and swinging freely to start with and played some good shots, but once Rafa sussed him out, he was on a hiding to nothing.

Vamos Rafa!

nadline , 2/7/13 8:22 AM

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