July 03, (THEWILL) – In Saturday’s third round of matches at the All-England club, trophy favourite, Rafael Nadal, turned on the style, as he cruised past Lorenzo Sonego 6-1 6-2 6-4 on Centre Court.
Nadal was slightly underwhelming, at his level and current form, in his previous rounds this tournament, especially against Francisco Cerundolo and Ricardas Berankis. But, the Spaniard was back to his brilliant best, dominating his opponent with an energetic and almost faultless display to set up a match with Botic van de Zandschulp in the last 16.
The second seed set the tone with a venomous backhand and a couple of volleys as he held to love in consecutive service games, breaking his opponent in just the third game after Sonego overhit a forehand. From that point on, Nadal did not look like giving Sonego any breather.
There as some drama in the third set as Sonego displayed a much-improved performance before repeatedly asking for the lights to be turned on. This request was initially turned down but the officials eventually gave in and closed the roof with Nadal 4-2 ahead. But, the delay appeared to have affected Nadal and the momentum swung temporarily in Cerundolo’s favour.
The 36-year-old further heated the match when he complained that the Italian made a noise before hitting his shot. It got to a point where the players had a word with each other at the net. However, as usual, Nadal quickly regained his composure by breaking Sonego’s serve once more and held superbly to see out the match.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
