Nadal Prevents Another Millman Upset At US Open

One year ago, John Millman shocked the tennis world by defeating Roger Federer at the US Open. From the early-going, Rafael Nadal showed he would not let the same happen to him Tuesday evening.

Nadal raced past the Aussie 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to extend his record in the first round in Flushing Meadows to 15-0. The Spaniard put together a strong serving performance, holding all of his service games in his two-hour and seven-minute victory.

The 33-year-old, who currently has the edge in the battle for year-end No. 1 — he arrived in New York with a 140-point lead over second-placed Novak Djokovic in the ATP Race To London — is now 34-1 against opponents outside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings. Nadal has won all six sets in his two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Millman, with their other match coming in the first round at Wimbledon two years ago.

Nadal carried plenty of momentum into the US Open after claiming his 35th ATP Masters 1000 title at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal. The legendary lefty has made at least the semi-finals in eight consecutive tournaments.

The second seed gave Millman little opening for a comeback throughout the match. He broke early in every set, never yielding a lead to the Aussie.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2zmtS1M