PARIS– Defending champ Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the French Open by beating American gamer Mackenzie McDonald 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 on Wednesday.
The No. 2-seeded Spaniard is looking to win his record-extending 13th French Open title and equivalent Roger Federers maless record of 20 major titles in general.
Nadal improved his record at Roland Garros to 95-2 when he sealed success on his very first match point.
He next deals with Kei Nishikori of Japan or Stefano Travaglia of Italy.
2 RelatedWhile Nadal made some noise, it was a noise of a various kind that rattled players earlier in the day at Roland Garros.
On Court Suzanne Lenglen, the second-biggest arena at the French Open, Dominik Koepfer was interrupted midserve by a sonic boom triggered by a fighter aircraft breaking the.
Koepfers shoulders dropped and he pulled out of his serving action, then looked throughout the internet at challenger Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss player looked similarly bemused as he stood completely still before play ultimately continued.
Before the cause of the loud bang was known, there was a short moment of panic outside the grounds of Roland Garros in western Paris as law enforcement officers gave guidelines to cordon off the location with the possibility of evacuating people. A couple of security officials ran down Boulevard dAuteuil– a long roadway leading to one of the main entry gates– yelling into two-way radios.
A few minutes later on, nevertheless, police revealed the cause and officials on the premises were informed of the “incorrect alert.”
” I was stunned like everybody, for sure,” Wawrinka stated after his 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory. “We [asked] the umpire to let me know what was it. Everybody had the answer quite early, so was all great.”
Kei Nishikori, playing his very first Grand Slam tournament considering that having right elbow surgery and contracting the coronavirus, was up to Stefano Travaglia 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7 ), 4-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted nearly four hours.
Nishikori, who was when ranked No. 4 but is now down to No. 35, missed out on the US Open after evaluating favorable for COVID-19.
The 74th-ranked Travaglia is one of an modern-era record of six Italian men who reached the 2nd round at Roland Garros.
In another match, Sebastian Korda advanced to the 3rd round of his very first French Open after another success against a trip veteran. After eliminating Andreas Seppi in his opening main draw match, the 20-year-old American qualifier took out 21st-seeded John Isner in the second round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.
A former junior world No. 1 and winner of the kids title at the 2018 Australian Open– and the boy of 1992 finalist Petr Korda– Korda broke Isners generally dominant serve 5 times.
The No. 213-ranked Korda will next deal with either Mikhail Kukushkin or qualifier Pedro Martinez on Friday.
Likewise, No. 27-seeded American Taylor Fritz reached the 3rd round by serving 16 aces in a straight-sets victory over Radu Albot.
The Associated Press added to this report.
” I was shocked like everyone, for sure,” Wawrinka stated after his 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory. Everybody had the answer quite early, so was all excellent.”
