Speed Post News Network
Patna : Thirteen-time champion & 3rd seed Rafael Nadal, 34, Spain, beat World No 63 Alexei Popyrin, 21, Australia, in straight sets to reach the 2nd round of French Open 2021, an ATP Grand Slam tournament played on outdoors clay court, at Stade Roland Rarros, Paris, France, on June 1, 2021. World No 3 Nadal beat Popyrin 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 in first round.
Nadal,the winner of record equalling 20 Grand Slam singles titles, won 4 break points during the match to 1 by the Australian. The Spaniard also won 7games in a row during the match to 3 by Popyrin. The Australian though hammered 8 Aces in the match to 7 by Nadal. Both the players committed 5 double faults each during the match. Nadal, in all, won 99 points during the match to 83 by the Australian.Nadal created 11 break point opportunities but could convert only 4 of them. Popyrin put up strong resistance in the third set taking it to tiebreak.
World No 9 Matteo Berrettini, 25, Italy, beat World No 113 Taro Daniel, 28, Japan, in four-sets 6-0, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to enter the 2nd round. Berrettini fired 14 Aces in the match to 4 by Daniel. The Japanese committed 8 double faults to 4 by the Italian. Berrettini won 5 break points during the match to 1 by Daniel. He also won 6 games in a row to 3 by Daniel.
World No 98 Andreas Seppi, 37, Italy, upset 20th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, 20, Canada, in four-sets 6-3, 7-6,4-6,6-4 in first round over comming 11 Aces hammered by the Canadian. Seppi fired 5 Aces during the match. Seppi won 4 break points during the match to 2 by the fast rising Canadian. Aliassime won 5 games in a row to 3 by the Italian.
World No 42 Jan-Lennard Struff, 31, Germany, stunned World N0 7 Andrey Rublev, 23, Russia, in a five-set marathon in first round. Struff beat 7th seed Rublev 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 in first round. The German hammered 25 Aces during the match to 13 by Rublev, who had upset Rafael Nadal in Monte-Carlo Masters a few weeks back.
Struff though also committed 11 double faults to 8 by the Russian. Both the players won 170 points each during the match. Rublev also won 4 break points in the match to 3 by Struff. The Russian also won 5 games in a row during the match to 3 by the German.