Rafael Nadal Cruises to Comfortable Win at Madrid Open

Nadal Dominates Teenage Opponent in Straight Sets

Rafael Nadal, the tennis legend, cruised to a comfortable straight-set victory over American teenager Darwin Blanch in the opening round of the prestigious Madrid Open on Thursday. The 37-year-old Spaniard, a five-time champion of the event, dominated the 16-year-old Blanch, who was making only his second appearance on the ATP tour, winning the match 6-1, 6-0 in just over an hour at the Caja Magica center court.

Nadal, who is seeking to regain his form after a recent injury layoff, showed no physical limitations and was in control from the start, never facing a single break point. The lopsided encounter marked the largest age gap between two opponents in an ATP 1000 tournament, with Nadal being 21 years and 117 days older than his youthful opponent.

“I think today I played against an opponent with a great future,” Nadal acknowledged, “but today, still making mistakes. I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I’m happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future.”

While Nadal did not face much of a challenge from Blanch, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said he is still working to regain his full fitness ahead of the upcoming French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times. Nadal had earlier stated that in his current condition, he would not play the French Open if it were happening now.

Other Results at the Madrid Open

In other results, Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied to defeat Yoshihito Nishioka, while Lorenzo Sonego beat Richard Gasquet, who was playing in his 1,000th tour-level match. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and American Coco Gauff also advanced to the next round with comfortable wins.

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