Paris (AFP)
The world No.2 Rafael Nadal let slip only four games in the second round of Roland Garros against the American (236th), devoured 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 Wednesday.
Nadal, master of the premises at Roland-Garros where he has triumphed twelve times, has so far adapted very well to the autumn conditions of this 2020 edition that he dreaded.
"Today, it was not so cold, that's the main thing. When it's like that, the conditions are not so bad", he said in videoconference, evoking in particular a ball "a little less heavy "
The weather remains obviously a matter of concern for the Mallorcan.
"The forecasts for the next few days are not very good," he said.
On Central court Wednesday afternoon, he posted an excellent record of 31 winning strokes for 15 unforced errors, converted seven of the eight break points he earned and conceded none.
All in 1h40 exactly.
"Rafa" will face the Italian Stefano Travaglia, winner of the former Japanese world No.4 Kei Nishikori after a battle of almost 4 hours (6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2), for a place in the round of 16.
When the ATP circuit resumed in mid-August after five months of forced interruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Spaniard had preferred to give up the Cincinnati-US Open mini-tour concentrated in New York.
He only resumed competition two weeks ago in Rome, where Argentina's Diego Schwartzman stopped him in his third match, in the quarter-finals.
If he were crowned once more on Parisian clay, Nadal would equal the record of twenty major crowns set by Roger Federer.
© 2020 AFP