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BARCELONA OPEN BANC SABADELL—Barcelona, Spain
Nadal Easily Progresses
Legendary Spaniard Rafael Nadal returned to the winners circle on Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain, defeating Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3.
In a match that lasted one hour and 26 minutes, Nadal won 78 percent of his first serve points and broke serve on four occasions.
Last playing on Tour in January in Australia, Nadal will next face No. 4 seed Alex de Minaur.
Nadal, who has stated that 2024 will be his last year on Tour, is hopeful of playing the French Open next month in Paris. The Spaniard has won Roland Garros an astounding 14 times.
Defending Champion Rublev Ousted
Elsewhere, No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev continued his struggles on Tour, losing in straight sets to Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(6).
Rublev has now lost four matches in a row.
No. 8 seed Sebastian Baez and No. 15 seed Borna Coric were also upset.
Wednesday’s action in Barcelona will also feature No. 3 seed Casper Ruud and recent Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.
*****
BMW OPEN—Munich, Germany
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime picked up a hard-fought win on Tuesday in Munich, Germany, defeating Maximilian Marterer 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 7-6(3).
Needing a gruelling three hours and 24 minutes to advance, Auger-Aliassime will next face Taro Daniel for quarterfinal birth.
Elsewhere, Cristian Garin took out No. 7 seed Dominik Koepfer and Botic van de Zandschulp progressed with a 6-4 2-6 6-3 victory over Ivan Gakhov.
*****
TIRIAC OPEN—Bucharest, Romaina
Tuesday’s featured matches in Bucharest featured Stan Wawrinka and Denis Shapovalov bowing out in first-round action.
Wawrinka was defeated by No. 7 seed Nuno Borges 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, and Shapovalov was sent packing by talented Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-4, 6-2.
Wednesday’s schedule of play in Romania will be highlighted by top seed Francisco Cerundolo and No. 4 seed Alejandro Tabilo.
*****
Watch all the action live this week from the ATP Tour on Tennis TV.
Get ready for the year’s second Major today, with great tickets to the French Open in Paris. Nadal has stated that this year could be his final trip to Paris as a professional player.
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