May 31, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
The number two-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 in their second-round match at the 2012 French Open, and in the process, raised his win/loss total to 47-1 at Roland Garros. Nadal broke twice to clinch the first set before being forced to save two break points in the second set. He won 25 of 29 total points in the third set, hit 25 total winners past Istomin and lost 16 of his service points—winning 76 percent of his first service points.
"This year I’m having fun, a lot of fun, I’m happy, and I’m not … how can I say? I’m not suffering from the fact that I’m far from home," said Nadal. "I can improve things. The serve is the first one. I think I improved the level of my serve during the match, but I started the match serving badly. For the rest, more or less, I have to be happy."
Nadal will next face Argentina’s Eduardo Schwank for a spot in the final Round of 16.
"I think he’s in good shape," said Istomin of his opponent. "He’s won a lot of tournaments already on clay. For me, he is the favorite to win the Roland Garros again."
