Nadal wins ugly U.S. Open match against Fognini

In that second set, Fabio committed a few errors, which Nadal admitted was fortunate for him.

Fognini broke to take the lead 3-2, then increased his lead to 4-2, after Nadal threw a backhand into the net. But after that, it was Fognini who struggled, missing four consecutive shots to lose at love as a result of a four-game streak by Nadal to tie the match at one set each.

You can’t play games with Nadal, Fognini stated. “I allowed him to rejoin the fight, and he improved further after that.”

Nadal made one very flawless shot in the third set, a forehand on the move that diverted Fognini’s overhead and sent it down the line for a winner to break for 4-2. With hundreds of spectators on their feet, Nadal was propelled right to the edge of the stands by his momentum before he punched the air and exclaimed, “Vamos!”

Soon after, Nadal also acquired that set, and he would win 16 of the final 19 games.

The third-round matchup with Richard Gasquet, who defeated No. 32 seed Miomir Kecmanovic with scores of 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, is up next for Rafael Nadal.

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What was he thinking?
Nadal, who has won four of his 22 Grand Slam titles at the US Open, most recently in 2019, the most recent time he participated in the hard-court competition, said: “Well, just a little bit dizzy at the beginning.” “Somewhat unpleasant.”
Nadal was well in control and up 3-0 in the fourth set when the drama began. This was after he had given up the first set in each of their previous matches this week.

Nadal, 36, hit a backhand while moving to his right. His racket hit the ball, deflected off the court, and hit him square in the nose.

While waiting for the trainer, he went over to the sideline and laid down. Fognini then went over to see how Nadal was doing.
He assured me that everything was fine, Fognini subsequently recalled. “Hopefully nothing serious,” you say.

Nadal continued play after having his nose bandaged. He would go on to lose that game but not another, increasing his Grand Slam winning streak to 21-0 in 2022.

After winning his 14th championship at the French Open in June and the Australian Open in January, Nadal advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July before having to quit due to an abdominal injury (which does not go into the books as a loss).

Nadal’s encounter against Fognini, who defeated him in the 2015 US Open, did not start well. He missed his shots, and he fell behind right away.

“I was not competing for more than an hour and a half,” Nadal claimed. “Probably one of the worst starts ever.”
Both players played poorly in the second set, which was hardly a work of art for either of them. Together, they made 39 unforced errors, only nine winners, seven service breaks, and three held.

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THE NEW YORK When his own racket ricocheted off the court during the follow-through after a shot, Rafael Nadal cut himself on the bridge of his nose with it, leaving him wounded and faint during his second-round victory at the US Open.

In the fourth set of what would end up being a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Fabio Fognini at Arthur Ashe Stadium in a match that started Thursday night and ended after midnight on Friday, play was suspended for nearly five minutes during a medical stoppage.It created a strange scene that was briefly frightful. Nadal frowned, put his racket down, put his hand to his face, and then put both of his hands on his head. In his postgame news conference, he stated that he initially believed his swollen nose might have been fractured.

When it occurred, he described it as “shocking” and claimed to have felt “a little bit out of this world.”
Nadal was able to laugh despite everything though. When asked if he’d ever experienced that during his on-court interview, he forced a chuckle and responded, “With a golf club but not with a tennis racket.”

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