Rafael Nadal had his second-round match well in-hand on Friday when Nicolas Mahut retired following the second set. At the time, Nadal held a two sets to none advantage, taking each by a score of 6-2. Mahut complained of an abdominal strain and waived the white flag after dropping the second, allowing Nadal a bit of extra rest ahead of his third-round matchup.
Rafael Nadal Advances At US Open After Nicolas Mahut Retires
The break should be a welcome on for Nadal after a tougher than expected first round. To advance to the second round, Nadal needed some three hours to dispatch Andrey Golubev. Though it was a straight-set victory for Nadal, it came with a second-set tiebreaker and a 7-5 win in the third set.
But the No. 2 ranked player in the world bounced back on Friday, looking as strong as we’ve come to expect while putting Mahut on the ropes early. He was efficient, clean and dominant before Mahut retired.
Nadal moves on to face David Nalbandian in the third round of the US Open.
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