Rafa Nadal boasted after his first-round US Open match that he had a video recording of being the first player to hit a ball in practice under the new roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Rafael Nadal was impressive in his second round win at the US Open, defeating Andreas Seppi 6-0, 7-5, 6-1.
The USTA has said that, based on pre-tournament testing, the expectation is there will be little difference in playing conditions whether the roof is open or closed. [There is] no big difference, With the roof open there is no wind at all, so it is not a big change.
Hitting 13 aces Thursday night with the roof closed at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams improved to 306-42 in matches at major tournaments, a winning percentage of.879. It’s just fantastic. You know, I feel very close to them because I play with a lot of passion and they give me that electricity.
Nadal’s win over Seppi marked his sixth straight against the Italian, with all of those victories coming without dropping a set.
The 30-year-old Spaniard said a key for him going forward would be his down-the-line forehand, adding that when he is able to effectively hit that shot then his high looping crosscourt forehand has “a bigger impact”. “That’s an important shot for me”.
French Open champion Garbine Muguruza and Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic crashed out of the US Open.
Muguruza won three games in a row to threaten a comeback in the second set but Sevastova finally converted her fourth match point to win 7-5, 6-4.
Britains Kyle Edmund backed up his first round win over world number 15 Richard Gasquet with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 victory over United States wildcard Ernesto Escobedo.
Its nice of course to come back but you have a lot of pressure, said Vinci who was ranked 43 in the world this time a year ago. It was a little bit odd.
“Next round is a very tough opponent”. I played him this year, I think, at the beginning of the season in Doha. “As the court got wet enough, we pulled the trigger”, said USTA executive director and chief operating officer Gordon Smith of the roof closing.
“It was extremely physical out there”.
If I make the second week, Ill be happy, said Kvitova, keen to dampen down expectations.
He goes on to face experienced Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis for a place in the last 16.
If he can perform like this with his serve while the rest of his game remains strong, he could be a real threat once again in NY.
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And when the drops came down early in Murray’s second set, well, it was loud as can be.
