O2, 15 November, 20:00 GMT
0: Rafael Nadal takes to the stage to face Andre Rublev, Coin toss iminent, Nadal wins the coin toss, chooses to serve
Nadal (0) 0-0 (0) Rublev:
Nadal begins serving strong to Rublev’s backhand, looks in shape, takes the first game 40-15
Nadal (0) 1-0 (0) Rublev:
Now it’s the Russian’s turn to serve, starts by pushing the Spaniard to the base line and forcing an error to win the first point.
His lead is taken away by Nadal’s agility, a good forehand makes it 30-30
Rublev takes the first game, poor serving from him though
Nadal (0) 1-1 (0) Rublev:
Nadal’s power is really testing the agility of his opponent, getting two points quickly in the third game
Nadal takes the game, Rublev has to find a strategy to combat the speed at which he is being forced to return if he wants to take control of this match
Nadal (0) 2-1 (0) Rublev:
There is 11 years between these two compeititors
Rublev hits a terrific winner down the left side along the tramline, accuracy is crucial against Nadal.
And just like that is 40-0, he’s beating Nadal at his own game,
Nadal (0) 2-2 (0) Rublev:
Heading into the fifth game, Nadal is showing no signs of letting up on power, when he finds his accuracy its a tough day for the opponent, 40:15
Nadal takes it comfortable
Nadal (0) 3-2 (0) Rublev:
It’s been a battle of efficacy so far, each player trying to hit winners and avoid unforced errors, 15-15
30-30, could Nadal get a break here? He tries an overly ambitious shot and loses the point
40-40, what a shot, Nadal looks finished then plays a terrific cross court shot to sneak inside the baseline at the net, it’s deuce
Advantage Nadal, he is catching Rublev out with his terrific forehand, break point, break point wasted as Rublev smashed back Deuce again
Nadal gets another Break point and he takes it, waits out Rublev untik he forces an error out, Rublev shows some frustration tossing his racket aside
Nadal (0) 4-2 (0) Rublev:
Embed from Getty ImagesWith the successful break Nadal looks to close out the Set, he begins the game winning the first point, there is a mix up at the officials desk and the second point is replayed- bit sloppy from the umpire’s team to disrupt play
40-15, Nadal Ace’s to get two game points, Rublev claps back though with an excellent forehand down Nadal’s left lank leaves him hopeless
Deuce, credit to the youngster he has shown a lot of resilience to battle back to make this hard for Nadal,
Two bad errors from Rublev gives Nadal the game, shame he lost his nerve from the prior two points
Nadal (0) 5-2 (0) Rublev:
Rublev has to show up in this game here, his serving has been sub par this far
30 – love, and he does, sort of channeling his aggression to fight back against the second seeds ability
He wins the game without conceding a point and only required one second serve, huge improvement, but he’ll have to battle Nadal’s serve if he wants to win this set
Nadal (0) 5-3 (0) Rublev:
30-0, Nadal just looks far too equipped for the Russian prospect, his experience certainly shinning through here
40-0, Nadal with three set points
Wins the game and the first set, Nadal’s serve is really troubling Rublev. His power and finesse is proving superior for the Russian, forcing so many errors.
Embed from Getty ImagesNadal (1) 0-0 (0) Rublev:
Rublev to begin serving in this second set. He takes the first point
15-30, Nadal plays a very clever shot over the shoulder of his opposition, he looks hungry,
15-40, double fault from Rublev handing Nadal two break points
He squanders them, poor from Nadal, concedes some poor points to take it to deuce
Nadal Breaks, Rublev just doesn’t look good enough
Nadal (1) 1-0 (0) Rublev:
0-30, Rublev fights back to win the first two points against Nadal’s serve, showing some desire to make things difficult
30-30, Nadal is just such an expert at finding that gap and exploiting it
it’s 40-30 now and unsurprisingly he really is show cases his raw ability
Deuce, quite an inconsistent game, Nadal seeming to struggle to close out the game on his serve
And he doesn’t have too, cheap second serve it and Rublev shanks it far out
Nadal (1) 2-0 (0) Rublev:
15 all, Rublev showing a lot of aggressive signs as we get into the third game, he is such a passionate player, if he can focus this he may have a chance to test Nadal
Rublev wins the game 40-15, you have to admire his determination
Nadal (1) 2-1 (0) Rublev
Nadal is really running Rublev through his paces here, 40-15 and its looking bleak for the Russian
Nadal takes the game, Rublev lets out a cry of anger and frustration, it’s looking pretty final
Nadal (1) 3-1 (0) Rublev:
Rublev’s serving has certainly improved in the second set, his first serve accuracy has really improved
Rublev narrowly takes the fifth game, he has to break Nadal at some point here
Nadal (1) 3-2 (0) Rublev:
Nadal serving to extend his lead and assert his claim on this game. He’s hardly broken a sweat so far, really reserved
40-15, Rublev making a poor mistake hitting into the net, it’s really not his day
Nadal just seems to good, his serve continuing to award him points from Rublev’s errors,
Nadal (1) 4-2 (0) Rublev:
Embed from Getty ImagesSaying Rublev’s serve has improved in this second set is an understatement. Absolutely plays Nadal off the court this game in under 60 seconds, real shock to see him finally channel his ability to win the 7th game
Nadal (1) 4-3 (0) Rublev:
Bad start to the game for Nadal, looks a bit shaken after that dramatic 7th game, love-15
30-15, he comes back in the same way he’s been doing so far, patiently forcing errors from Rublev
40-15, Rublev hits an absolute howler past the baseline and out, certainly swinging for the fences here
Nadal (1) 5-3 (0) Rublev:
15-15 in what could be the last game in this match, Nadal looks confident meanwhile Rublev continues to play in a frenzy
40-40, great rally from these two, Rublev can’t force a winner and Nadal once again finds the gap into the right side of the court
Rublev eventually outplays Nadal to make it close in this second set, he’s played better in this set
Nadal (1) 5-4 (0) Rublev:
Nadal now serving to win the match in this 10th game, Rublev has to pull out all the stops this game, he starts poorly with a stupid forehand far out
30-0, Nadal once again sowing off the power in his serve, Rublev struggling to come up with an answer
40-0, three match points for Nadal, quite deserved he should be comfortable here
Embed from Getty ImagesNadal wins it, he has shown his quality and ability today and seen off his competitor, Rublev will hopefully have a lot of takeaways from this evening’s defeat
Nadal (2) 6-4 (0) Rublev
