BEIJING: Rafael Nadal stuttered to victory against one of his former ball boys at the China Open on Tuesday as top-ranked Novak Djokovic swept imperiously to his 25th straight win in Beijing.

Out-of-sorts Nadal was broken four times by China’s 230th-ranked Wu Di, who once tossed him balls and towels in Shanghai, before winning an error-strewn match 6-4, 6-4.

Nadal, 29, was playing for the first time since his third-round defeat at the US Open, but it was a far from satisfying return as the 14-time Grand Slam-winner continued to grope for form.

“We don’t need to talk more about confidence, rhythm. That’s my level today, and I’m going to work hard to try to improve my level of today,” he said, after reaching the second round.

“But tomorrow is another opportunity. I played a match today that I can play better, and I think I can play better tomorrow because I’m practising well.”

On a heavily polluted day in Beijing, Wu anticipated superbly when he lunged for a forehand volley winner for his first break of the Spaniard early in the first set, and he wasn’t done yet.

Wu broke again to go ahead in the second set but with both players uncomfortable on serve, Nadal was able to wrap it up after 86 minutes and progress to a second-round meeting with Vasek Pospisil.

JOURNEY’S END

“I’m practising well, so the level of tennis is going to be there sooner or later. I am working a lot to make that happen. I think I’m closer to that,” Nadal said.

“I know it’s obvious that I need results to confirm that. But we are almost at the end of this season and I have time to keep playing the last tournaments of the year with the chance to practise the things that I need to do for next year.

“My goal is recover the level especially to play my best on clay next year.”

Nadal and Wu then yielded the smoggy centre court to Djokovic and the Serb, fresh from winning his 10th Grand Slam title in New York, had little difficulty dispatching Simone Bolelli 6-1, 6-1.

The five-time champion was all over Bolelli’s second serve as he hustled the Italian off the court in just 71 minutes to take his incredible unbeaten record into a sixth China Open campaign.

It was an afternoon which underlined the gulf that has opened up between Djokovic and Nadal, once his close rival but now down to eighth in the world and a shadow of his fearsome best.

Nadal is using the year’s final events as practice for next season, after a forgettable 2015 in which he didn’t progress beyond the quarter-finals of any of the Grand Slams.

As for Wu, 24, it completed a journey after he was a ball boy for the Spanish great at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, and later progressed to become his practice partner.

“As for the ATP Finals (Tennis Masters Cup), I served as the ball boy for Rafa. So right now I played Rafa. It’s not a small deal,” he said.

Results (x denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3, 6-2; Vasek Pospisil (CAN) bt Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) 4-6, 7-5, 6-0; Rafael Nadal (ESP x3) bt Wu Di (CHN) 6-4, 6-4; Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-1, 6-1; John Millman (AUS) bt Tommy Robredo (ESP) 4-6, 6-1, 6-0; David Ferrer (ESP x4) bt Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 6-4, 6-3.

Women’s singles:

Second round: Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x8) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 7-5, 6-0; Angelique Kerber (GER x10) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 6-1, 6-4; Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 0-6, 6-2, 6-0; Flavia Pennetta (ITA x3) bt Teliana Pereira (BRA) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4; Sara Errani (ITA) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Ana Ivanovic (SRB x6) bt Venus Williams (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-2; Andrea Petkovic (GER x13) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2, 7-5; Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x12) bt Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) 7-5, 6-2.

WAWRINKA IN SECOND ROUND

TOKYO: Top seed champion Stan Wawrinka muscled into the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday with a bludgeoning 7-5, 6-3 victory over Czech Radek Stepanek.

Richard Gasquet became the highest-ranked casualty of the first round, the fourth seed skulking away after crashing to a 6-4, 6-1 defeat by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, while fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire upset eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Results:

First round: Stan Wawrinka (SUI x1) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 7-5, 6-3; Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x4) 6-4, 6-1; Austin Krajicek (USA) bt Matthew Ebden (AUS) 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5); Gilles Simon (FRA x3) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-4, 6-4; Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Samuel Groth (AUS) 6-3, 2-0 (retired); Gilles Muller (LUX) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA x5) 6-2, 6-3; Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 7-5, 6-1; Steve Johnson (USA) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-3, 2-1 (retired); Benoit Paire (FRA) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x8) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Published in Dawn, October 7th , 2015

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