RIO DE JANERIO — Rafael Nadal beat Joao Souza of Brazil 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Brazil Open, his second tournament since returning from a left knee injury.
Supersport
Nadal broke Souza’s service late in each set to win in 1 hour, 18 minutes at the indoor clay-court tournament in South America’s biggest city.
The victory over the 140th-ranked Brazilian came a day after Nadal withdrew from the doubles tournament to look after the sore knee which had kept him sidelined for seven months.
The 11-time Grand Slam winner, who had a bye in the first round and won the tournament in 2005, will face Carlos Berlocq after the Argentine won 7-6 (7), 6-4 against eighth-seeded Albert Ramos of Spain.
Nadal lost the singles and doubles final last week at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar in Chile.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Earlier in the day, defending champion Nicolas Almagro of Spain reached the quarter-finals by beating Chilean qualifier Paul Capdeville 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2.
The 11th-ranked Almagro won the last four games to stay on track for his third straight title in Sao Paulo — and fourth overall. The second-seeded Spaniard will face David Nalbandian, who beat Guido Pella 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Argentine match.
The Brazil Open is Almagro’s first tournament since his five-set loss to compatriot David Ferrer in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.
Third-seeded Juan Monaco lost an opening-round match for the third time this season, falling to Simone Bolelli of Italy 7-5, 6-2. The 15th-ranked Argentine had his service broken four times in the second-round loss at the Ibirapuera arena.