Spains Rafael Nadal Wins Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 Tennis
Rafael Nadal wins the Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 event, defeating American qualifier Maxime Cressy 7-6(6) 6-3 to build momentum for the Australian Open.
Highlights:
♦ The Spaniard breezed through his first competitive tournament since August, finishing in an hour and 48 minutes.
♦ Nadal put Cressy under a lot of pressure right away, as he had to defend three break points in his first service game, but there was nothing to separate the two for the rest of the first set, which required a tiebreak.
♦ Nadal improved late in the tiebreak, saving a set point at 5-6 and then earning his first set point with a forehand winner, which he converted to win the first set 7-6. (6).
♦ Cressy broke early in the second set to take a 2-1 lead, but Nadal quickly countered with a break of his own to put the set back on serve.
♦ The Spaniard broke for a 5-3 lead and won the match on serve.