The Cordoban, No. 91 in the world, fell to Rafael Nadal (No. 512) 6-1, 6-7 (5) and 6-3 in a marathon 3h 4m match at the Madrid Masters 1000.
Rafael Nadal reached the round of 16 Madrid Masters 1000 after a match of more than three hours against the Argentine Pedro Cachín (No. 91) by 6-1, 6-7 (5) and 6-3, played at the Manolo Santana stadium in the Caja Mágica.
The Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam titles had not won three consecutive matches since the US Open 2022. On Tuesday the current 512th in the world ranking and former No. 1 will face the Czech Jiri Lehecka (31st) for a ticket to the quarterfinals. “We’ll see how I wake up tomorrow (Tuesday),” he declared after the game. And he added: “I make the most of playing here, I can’t ask for more, all the time I accumulate this week on the court has great value for me, both emotionally and tennis-wise.”
Two days before, in the previous round, Rafael Nadal He had already achieved his first victory against a player at the top of the ATP ranking since November 2022, by defeating the Australian Alex de Minaur (11th). The three victories accumulated this week in Madrid equal the total he accumulated in 2024: one in Brisbane in January and two in Barcelona this April.
Rafael Nadal’s t-shirt, as a souvenir
Against Pedro Cachín, Rafael Nadal He brought out the artillery in the first set, won with a clear superiority. But the Argentine reacted during the second set, and after wasting two set points in the tenth game, the Cordoban was effective in the tie-break. At that moment, the clock showed 2h 12m of play, which raised concern about the physical condition of the Mallorcan, who arrived in Madrid after a few months marked by constant injuries. Finally, he took the victory in 3 hours and 4 minutes of the match.
After the game, both players shook hands at the net, a moment that the Argentine took advantage of to confess to Rafael Nadal: “You fulfilled my dream, thank you.” It is that, without wasting a unique opportunity, Pedro Cachín He dared to ask her if she could take any souvenirs from him. The Spaniard granted his wish by giving him one of her t-shirts, and the man from Córdoba commented in a press conference that he plans to hang it next to a photo from the match.
Source: Ambito
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