New York, Aug 31 :Rafael Nadal kickstarted his pursuit of a 23rd Grand Slam singles title with an entertaining win in US Open first round win over Rinky Hijikata.
It took time for Spaniard to discover his rhythm on Tuesday evening, but the four-time champion rallied past Hijikata 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 at Flushing Meadows, where he is competing for the first time since he won the 2019 title.
He will next face a tough challenge against Italian Fabio Fognini, who rallied from two sets down against the 22-time Slam champion in New York in 2015. Nadal leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 13-4.
Nadal has won 19 of his past 20 matches at the season’s final Grand Slam, and he has triumphed in all 20 of his matches at major championships this year.
The No. 2 seed is now a perfect 20-0 in Grand Slam play this season with titles at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, his lone setback a semifinal pull-out at Wimbledon due to an abdominal tear, an injury that cost him a shot at the calendar-year Grand Slam.
In other action, Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the second round at the final Grand Slam of the year when his opponent retired due to a leg injury.
The 19-year-old Spaniard had prevailed in two scintillating sets Sebastian Baez 7-5, 7-5, 2-0 on Arthur Ashe Stadium against the World No. 37 Baez on Tuesday.
Both players produced plenty of high-quality all-court tennis, but it was the 2021 quarterfinalist Alcaraz, who had found something extra to clinch a crucial break of serve in the 12th game of both sets.
Alcaraz’s next assignment at Flushing Meadows is a second-round match against Federico Coria of Argentina.
