Nadal Into Miami Round of 16
World number one Rafael Nadal was a 6-1, 6-0 winner Monday at the Sony Open Tennis event in Miami, ousting Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin and moving on to the Round of 16. A runner up in Miami in 2005, 2008 and 2011, Nadal is seeking his first ever title in Miami.
Up next for Nadal is the 14th-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner on the day over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.
"I played a very complete match," said Nadal of his straight sets victory over Istomin. "No mistakes, serving with good percentage, and playing a lot of winners. My movements were better than what I did last events."
Canada’s Milos Raonic advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time in Miami, hitting 10 aces and losing just five service points en route to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Raonic will next meet Benjamin Becker, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over qualifier Aljaz Bedene.
John Isner kept hope alive for the Americans, hitting 17 aces in a 7-5, 6-3 win over the 18th-seeded Nicolas Almagro. Isner will next face Tomas Berdych after Berdych’s 6-2, 6-4 win over Joao Sousa. Isner trails Berdych 2-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head, but won their two previous meetings on U.S. soil.
Stanislas Wawrinka advanced to the Round of 16 as well, his best result to date in Miami, a 7-5, 6-4 win over Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Wawrinka goes on to meet Alexandr Dolgopolov, a 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(5) comeback winner over Dusan Lajovic. Dolgopolov holds a 2-1 career advantage over Wawrinka, with one win coming in walkover fashion in Rome last year.
"Going to be a tough match," said Wawrinka of his Round of 16 opponent. "He's playing really well … he's a tricky player. He can serve really well. He's moving well. He can play really fast."
