Different from Dan Evans in the third round of Indian Wells Masters 2022, Rafael Nadal had more difficulties before Reilly Opelka. The 24 -year -old American player possesses the world's top powerful serve at the present time.
Before the opponent was 11 years younger than me and the serve was good, Nadal chose a deep backing plan whenever the serve. However, Reilly Opelka's serve is really good that the Spaniard does not win any break in the first set.
In the opposite direction, Rafael Nadal also successfully defended the gaming games. Set 1 therefore must enter the tie-break series. The bravery and seasoned experiences spoke at the right time to help the king on the pitch of the ground to win with a score of 7-3.
No surprise occurred in the first 4 games of set 2. By the 5th game, Nadal made a double mistake and let Reilly Opelka win the break. The owner of 21 Grand Slam then regained the break in the 8th game.
The fact that both players successfully defended the next serve games made the tie-break series appear in Set 2. Nadal once again became a better player when he won with a score of 7-5.
“Reilly Opelka is my most difficult opponent at Indian Wells Masters this year. It is difficult to make the desired shots before the serve as well as his hand. I played the best match from the beginning of the tournament. This victory has a great significance to myself”, Nadal said.
This victory is meaningful to Rafael Nadal because this has been the 18th in a row that he defeated opponents since he entered 2022. Nadal overcame Roger Federer's most impressive starting series (won 17 consecutive games) in 2013.
Nadal's opponent in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters 2022 is Nick Kyrgios. Nick Kyrgios did not have to play the fourth round because his opponent Jannik Sinner gave up from being ill.
