By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Rafael Nadal comeback tour will still be witnessed live after pulling off a gutsy victory over Pedro Cachin of Argentina- 6.1, 6.7, 6.3- in the ongoing Madrid Open on April 29, 2024, at the Caja Magica in Manzanares Park, San Fermin, Spain.
After earning back-to-back sweeping wins against Alex de Minaur and Darwin Blanch in the first two rounds of the prestigious tournament, Nadal faced a different challenge as Cachin became the first challenger to win a set against him.
In the first frame, Nadal went out waxing hot and bullied the Argentinian with his signature forehand top spin bombs that helped him establish a comfortable cushion.
Aside from his offense, his steady service game also steered him in the opening set, holding all of his possessions while breaking Cachin’s service three times to grab the early 1-0 lead.
Just when Nadal thought he could replicate his second-set magic against Cachin, things suddenly shifted in favor of the Argentinian after his tweaked strategy paid off dividends in the match.
Instead of going toe-to-toe with Nadal in the baseline exchanges, Cachin decided to storm the net area in every possession, putting the pressure back on the living legend.
His adjustments paid off as he was able to steal the second set away, forcing a do-or-die third set for all the marbles.
Eager to regain his footing in the match, Nadal began the third set with a calm approach in attacking Cachin’s backhand side that put him in the driver’s seat early in the period.
Unfortunately for Cachin, his series of unforced errors was capitalized by Nadal in the final three- game sets, allowing him to officially shut the door to clinch the next round ticket in Madrid.
