Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal hopes to continue his good start at the Western & Southern Open when he meets Croatian Borna Coric in the third round of the ATP 1000 Masters event in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nadal won his first ATP match since suffering a left wrist injury at the French Open in May, defeating Pablo Cuevas 6-1 7-6(4) on Wednesday. After an Olympic marathon that saw Nadal competing in the men's singles and winning a Gold Medal in doubles category, the 14-time Grand Slam winner feels happy to pull off a win over Cuevas, who scored a win over Nadal earlier this year.
"I think I played a good match against a tough opponent in the first round for sure for me," Nadal said, reports Tennis Now. "After coming from Rio and after the marathon that I had in Rio, it's very important victory for me, no? So very happy."
After cruising past Cuevas in Round of 32, Nadal faces next generation star Borna Coric, who saved a match point in the tiebreaker to defeat Aussie teen Nick Kyrgios 7-6(2) 4-6 7-6(6). It was Coric's first victory over Kyrgios and was "extremely happy" scoring a great victory heading into the third round.
"It was a very good match. I'm extremely happy with my performance. I was lucky at times and unlucky at other times, but overall I was brave on the big points," Coric said, reports the ATP's official website. "I will have this pressure to perform for the next 10 years or more, but I don't have any problems with it. I see it as a challenge."
Nadal and Coric have only met twice and are tied in their FedEx ATP Head2Head singles career matchup. The 19-year-old Coric, who is ranked 49th in the world, defeated Nadal in 2014 at the Swiss Indoors, while the Spaniard won their most recent meeting in last year's opening round of the US Open.
The winner between Nadal and Coric will get to face Tomas Berdych or Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters. Berdych advanced after beating Marcel Granollers 6-3 7-6(4), while Cilic defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-1.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch 2016 Cincinnati Masters: Rafael Nadal vs Borna Coric live via TennisTV. Live score updates will be available during game days at ATP World Tour's official website.
