Rafa Nadal flies against Sonego and gets into the round of 16

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After losing a set in two games,

had against

the need not only to win but to raise his conviction in his tennis ahead of the second week of the tournament.

He did so.

He won 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, in two hours and four minutes, and qualified for the round of 16 after playing his best match so far in the competition.

[Narration and statistics]

His appearance at Wimbledon was up in the air until just over a week before his start, after he successfully underwent renewed treatment for a scaphoid injury in his left foot.

Three years after his last appearance at Wimbledon, and already with 14 Roland Garros titles and 22 Grand Slam titles,

.

It is far from the first time that Nadal grows as the big tournaments progress.

Among his many strengths is the ability to raise the level of his game as he racks up track miles and becomes more in demand.

Against Sonego, 54th, a courageous competitor who is not used to lowering his arms, starred in an impetuous start that allowed him to gain an early advantage on the scoreboard.

With two titles in his career, the first of them on the grass of Antalya, the Italian who is not a stranger on the surface, saw how in just 27 minutes the first set had vanished.

Bridging the abyss between the surfaces and the rivals, this Saturday's Nadal was somewhat reminiscent of the one we saw in the Roland Garros quarterfinals against Djokovic.

He came out with similar determination, determined to move the game forward on the fast track, with a showy, precise, intense, direct game, and with the weapons required for the grass.

Defeated by

in the round of 16 last year, Sonego ran into an even more intractable opponent.

Nadal put several more gears in connection with his matches against

and

.

The Italian celebrated his first game of the second set, which was 4-1 adverse, raising his arms and cheering the public.

He showed a sense of humor, after having already made gestures of desperation heading towards his box.

The cruising speed acquired by

, who this Sunday faces

, the revelation of the course on grass, in the round of 16, and even the recovery of

, who faces

in the same round, found an immediate reply in Nadal, who added arguments to count among the favorites to a title that he already achieved in 2008 and 2010. If Sonego could conceive any hope thanks to his slight improvement in the second set, it was dissipated with the break in the third set .

This time nothing similar to what happened in the two previous meetings was going to happen.

The man from Turin asked for the track to be lit up, when he was already

down in the third set.

With 4-2 for Nadal and Sonego's service, the game was stopped for a few minutes to cover the court and turn on the lights.

The break was good for the transalpine, who achieved his first break in white and equaled four.

It was a fleeting joy.

Nadal broke back and closed his magnificent work with the service.

There was a small discussion between the two, after Nadal reproached the Italian for prolonging his screams after hitting.

They spoke again for a few seconds at the end of the match, when they greeted each other over the net.

Everything seemed to be settled amicably.

His opponent on Monday in the round of 16 will be

, the 25th seed, who beat Richard Gasquet in four sets.

Nadal defeated the Dutch player 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of Roland Garros.

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