Rafael Nadal's imperious return to clay-court dominance claimed
another victory on Thursday, as he defeated Jack Sock 6-3 6-4 to reach
the quarter-finals of Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
A seven-time winner of the ATP 1000 event in Rome, Nadal is a heavy
favourite to add to that tally this week, having already collected the
Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid titles in a stunning - and ominous -
build-up to next month's French Open.
Dominic Thiem awaits in the last eight, but the in-form Austrian has
had no answer of late to Nadal, who dispatched the world number seven in
the final in both Barcelona and Madrid.
Should he progress to the last four, Nadal must deal with the more
daunting prospect of Novak Djokovic or Juan Martin del Potro to earn a
spot in the decider and stay on track for a potential sweep of 2017's
major clay prizes.
After a routine hold to open the match, Nadal made a statement of
intent by breaking Sock to love, working over the American's backhand to
good effect.
With the injured Nick Kyrgios and the great Rod Laver watching from
the stands, Nadal did brilliantly to react to a net cord and fend off
break point.
He then held to go 3-0 up after the best rally of the set, somehow
digging out a remarkable cross-court forehand and showing no signs of
the physical problems that have impeded him in recent years.
The opening set stayed on serve after that, Sock showing better
composure but proving unable to cope with Nadal's superior control of
forehand depth and power.
The two men traded breaks in the first two games of the second set
and Nadal was in trouble again at 2-1 and 0-30 down in the fourth, but a
smoking forehand winner, down the line and on the run, proved the spark
for an important hold.
It then stayed on serve until the ninth game, when the world number four upped the ante decisively.
Sock had no answer to a sudden flurry of heavier forehands,
repeatedly burying shots into the net and then earning a code violation
for his response upon dropping serve to love.
Nadal then duly held to love on his own serve to seal the contest with his first match point.
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