October 6, 2011 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Rafael Nadal from Spain has advanced to the quarters of the Japan Open after a 7-5, 6-3 win over Milos Raonic of Canada. Nadal is the current number two player in the world and will go up against Santiago Giraldo in quarterfinals.
"I was happy with almost everything today; I was focused on my serves without mistakes. I lost very few points on my serve in the last set of the match," said Nadal. Raonic double-faulted to leave Nadal with set point in the first. After the double, he hit a long forehand to allow Nadal to take the first set in 12 games. Nadal then stayed on serve in the second after a break to take the match in 1-hour and 30-minutes.
Although Raonic had some great forehands, it came down to consistency to which Nadal summed it up in saying, “The top players do a few things better than the others. The matches are decided by very few points. It is on these points where the top players play better.”
