Nadal Upset by Zeballos and Denied Title in Comeback
World number 73 Horacio Zeballos upset top-seeded Rafael Nadal in his first comeback event, defeating the 11-time Grand Slam champion 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-4 to capture his first ATP World Tour trophy at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar. Zeballos notched his first top 10 win in three attempts, and in the process, became the first left-handed player to defeat Nadal on red clay. He is the second first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, joining Australian Bernard Tomic, who was a winner at the Apia International Sydney.
“It was a great tournament for me,” said Nadal. “If we take everything, it was positive. It’s true I wanted to win the final but in wasn’t possible. He made things better than me and I didn’t play my best match. I just need to keep working, practicing with hope, motivation and the right attitude to have better sensations every week. I hope it’s the beginning of a lot of good things for me.”
The 27-year-old Zeballos did not advance beyond the second round at any of the tour-level events he entered in 2012, but knocked off four seeded opponents this week en route to the title. In addition to Nadal, Zeballos upset fourth-seeded Pablo Andujar, fifth seed Albert Ramos and eighth seed Carlos Berlocq.
“I’ve worked really hard because I really wanted to be at this level,” Zeballos said. “For some months, I’ve been playing at a high level and I think I’m at the best moment of my career. I’m very strong physically and psychologically.”
Nadal heads to the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo next week and the Mexico Open in Acapulco beginning Feb. 25.
