AN ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT
11th - 19th OCTOBER
MMMM 2007 : 2007
ROMA: NADAL ADVANCES
Rafa Nadal won Italian Daniele Bracciali
www.atptennis.com Rafael Nadal began his bid for a third consecutive title in Rome by dismissing Italian Daniele Bracciali 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday in second round action at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The Spaniard extended his Open Era record clay court winning streak to 73 matches and his record at the year's fourth ATP Masters Series event to a perfect 13-0.Nadal raced out to a 3-0 lead by breaking Bracciali twice to open the match. He dropped serve in the next game, but that would prove Nadal's only lapse in the 1. hr., 31. min. match. The Spaniard completed the 6-4, 6-2 win to set up a third round battle with Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who advanced with a 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Olivier Rochus. Youzhny is one of the last two players to have defeated the second-seeded Spaniard, doing so in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. He also defeated Nadal in the quarterfinals of the US Open last year. Youzhny, the No. 15 seed this week, played in his third final of the year on Sunday in Munich. |