Rafael Nadal’s quest for a record 10th French Open title is still very much alive after brushing aside Robin Haase, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round on Wednesday. It was a dominant performance by Nadal who needed just one hour and 49 minutes to oust the Dutchman.
Just like in his first round match against Benoit Paire, Nadal’s serve was impressive once again in this contest. He converted 70 percent of his first serves against Haase with the Spaniard winning 35 of his 46 first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, though, was Nadal’s return. He won 43 percent (34-of-80) of his receiving points against Paire with the 14-time Grand Slam champion converting five of his 10 break point opportunities.
Next up for Nadal is a third-round clash with Nikoloz Basilashvili. He has yet to face Basilashvili in his storied career. Nadal will have no problem defeating Basilashvili, though, especially if he can continue his highly-efficient play. He has committed a total of just 31 unforced errors in his first two matches.
Nikoloz Basilashvili booked a place in the third round of the 2017 French Open with a tough 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) win over Viktor Troicki. This is the first time in his career that he has reached the round of 32 at Roland Garros. Things are bound to get tougher, though, for the Georgian as he will next face the “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal. The world no. 4, who is trying to become the first player in the Open era to win 10 titles at a major, is 19-1 on clay this season.
For Basilashvili to grab the massive upset, the 25-year-old needs to dominate with his service game. Basilashvili’s serve was immense against Troicki as he won 74 percent of his first serve points in that first-round match. Basilashvili also excelled with his second serve, with the Tbilisi native winning 16 of 32 points contested in that department. Basilashvili also needs to cut down on his errors if he is to shock the 14-time Grand Slam champion. He committed a whopping 41 unforced errors against Troicki in the second round.
Basilashvili has to be aggressive right from the get-go for him to stand a chance against Nadal. He will need to put pressure on the Spanish star and he can achieve that by employing his highly-effective net play. He won eight of his 12 net points in the previous round against Troicki. For the tournament, Basilashvili has won 78 percent (18-of-23) of his total net points.
Writer’s Prediction
Nadal (-7,000) destroys Basilashvili in straight sets.
