Rafael Nadal Fights Past Pedro Cachin To Reach The Fourth Round At The Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal is back in action on tour, on his best surface - clay. After a second round exit in Barcelona last week, he managed to secure a third consecutive win at the Madrid Open, including a revenge match against 11th seed  Alex De Minaur in straight sets in the second round. Nadal moves into the fourth round as he secures a win against Argentine Pedro Cachin in 3 sets 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 after 3 hours and 6 minutes. 

© ATP staff

Nadal cruised past Cachin in the first set 6-1. However, his momentum did not carry on into the second set as Cachin struck first, breaking immediately to lead 2-0. Nadal, unable to find a solution, allowed the Argentine to lead 4-1 with 2 breaks ahead. But Nadal did not give up, fighting to gain those breaks back when Cachin served at 4-2 and 5-4.

Nadal, unable to hold his serve at 5-5 gave Cachin the chance to serve out the set at 6-5. However, Nadal pulled off a love-game to break the Argentine and pushed the set to a tie-break where he ultimately fell short. The deciding set was fairly straightforward as Nadal broke early to lead at 3-2 and won the set 6-3 after more than 3 hours on court. 

Impressive feat for the five time Madrid champion, who played a 3-hour long match after taking a long break from tennis due the injuries he sustained over the years. It was also a great performance by Cachin despite overwhelming support for the former world no. 1 on his home ground. Both players extended a warm handshake and had a conversation exchange at the net at the end of the game. It was a match that fulfilled the dream of the young Cachin to play Nadal on tour, and he also acquired a souvenir from Nadal to go with it. 

Nadal’s last run in Madrid continues as he will face the 30th seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic for a spot in the quarterfinals. We look forward to seeing more of Nadal in the remainder of the season as he has confirmed that this would be his final season on tour.