The legendary Spaniard Rafael Nadal extended his undefeated streak to 20-0 in Grand Slams this year after a hard-fought win against Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata in the first round of the US Open.
Rafael Nadal returned to Flushing Meadows for the first time in three years. He looked quite rusty in the first set and ended up losing it before using his experience to win the next three to go 16-0 in the first round of the US Open. Nadal won 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in a match that lasted just over three hours.
A lot of credit should go to the 21-year-old Rinky Hijikata who made his Grand Slam main draw debut and took a set off the 22-time Grand Slam champion. The World No. 198 fought valiantly and made the southpaw earn most of the points. In fact, the final game of the match went on for over 15 minutes as Hijikata saved 4 match points.
Rafael Nadal hit a mesmerizing forehand to win the match, and that would surely take your breath away. It was the best shot that Nadal hit in the match. This was Nadal’s second match after his Wimbledon campaign and he will hope to go from strength to strength in the upcoming rounds. Nadal will face an old foe as Fabio Fognini in the second round. The World No. 3 holds a 13-4 lead over the Italian tennis pro.
“The GOAT is back baby”-Twitter reactions
Tennis fans on Twitter hailed Rafael Nadal and also praised Rinky Hijikata for his spirited performance against the second seed.
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