U.S. Open, Day 7 Review: Nadal Clips Countryman to Make Fourth Round

Queens, New York—No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal did not allow for a wounded abdominal muscle to spoil his straight set victory over Nicolas Almagro. The two hour and 37 minutes victory for Nadal featured more of a clay-court feel, than a battle on the asphalt. Both men had relatively low first serve percentages: 52 percent for Almagro, 62 percent for Nadal. In addition to the clay-court serving, both men broke serve on countless occasions,with Almagro converting 5 of 13 chances, and Nadal converting on 8 of 13 opportunities. In the end, the contest came down to Nadal’s eclipsing movement over Almagro. Rafa eluded to Almagro's court movement after defeating his countrymen in the 2008 French Open. Nadal said: “He has a great game, but needs to work on his movement.” Nadal certainly hit the nail on the head. Almagro’s weight of shot was challenging for Nadal, but when he was sent to the utter reaches of Ashe by the vicious spin of his opponent, Almagro’...