ATP: Barcelona: Sand court king Rafael Nadal successfully launches mission “Undécima

Three days after his eleventh Monte Carlo title, sand court king Rafael Nadal has successfully started a new mission “Undécima”. In Barcelona, the industry leader entered the round of 16 with a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over his compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena. There, “Rafa” will face another Spanish duel, as Guillermo Garcia-Lopez benefited from the Japanese’s injury-related elimination after the first set (6-3) against Monaco finalist Kei Nishikori.

For Nadal, it was the 38th consecutive set win since May 2017 on his beloved red ash. At that time the left-hander had lost the quarter-final against the Austrian Dominic Thiem in two sets (4:6, 3:6). Nadal is the leader in these statistics ahead of Romanian Ilie Nastase, who had won 34 sets in a row on sand in 1973.

In Barcelona, ten-time tournament winner Nadal has won 54 matches since 2003. His last of only three defeats in the Catalan metropolis three years ago, the 31-year-old defeated Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the round of 16. Nadal is also aiming for his eleventh title at the Bois de Bolougne at the French Open in Paris from 27 May.