Miami: One step closer
Photo by Al Bello/ Getty Images
In a battle of new-school vs old-school tennis, Rafa played #25 Radek Stepanek in the early Miami evening. At first, Stepanek’s constant changes of pace were throwing Rafa and he was having some difficulty holding serve and was committing too many unforced errors. The backhand passing shot of beauty made its way into the match early though and Rafa seemed to settle. Grumpily, but he settled and broke twice in the first set. After holding in the first game of the second set, Rafa broke for a 2-0 lead. His play alternated between brilliant and weird errors, but the match itself was really no contest. He’s through: 6-2, 6-2.
As it happened blatherings:
Rafa serving to start the match. Nice serve: 15-0. Forehand shank from Rafa: 15-15. Second serve. Stepanek nets a ball: 30-15. Nice return: 30-30. Scrambling point that Rafa takes total control of with two nice forehands: 40-30. Rafa’s backhand slice goes well wide: deuce. Steps is giving Rafa weird balls to look at and I think it’s affecting him. Nice serve: game point. Another service winner and Rafa holds for 1-1.
Rafa mishits a service return: 15-0. A short slice pulls Steps into the net and then Rafa passes with a backhand down the line: 15-15. Steps pushes Rafa and takes time from him: 30-15. Nicely executed point from Steps: 40-15. Second serve. Rafa returns from within the baseline and Steps sends his next shot long: 40-30. Rafa mishits that return and Steps holds.
Longish rally ends when Steps tees off on a forehand and it goes well wide: 15-0. Second serve. Rafa’s shot is out: 15-15. Steps takes time away again and Rafa nets his backhand: 15-30. Ace down the middle: 30-30. Nice body serve draws an error: 40-30. Second serve. The net cord pops Rafa’s ball out: deuce. Stepanek angles Rafa off the court to get himself a break point. Second serve. Steps into the net and Rafa runs down the approach to hit a beautiful backhand passing shot down the line: deuce. Smash: game point. Nice serve out wide and Rafa holds for 2-1.
Rafa’s backhand is long: 30-0. Steps nets a forehand: 30-15. Rafa had his shot, misses, says words to his box: 40-15. Ace and a strong hold for Stepanek: 2-2.
Rafa nets a forehand down the line: 0-15. Serve out wide draws an error: 15-15. Rafa sends a forehand long: 15-30. Backhand error from Stepanek: 30-30. Ace down the middle: 40-30. Another great serve and Rafa holds.
Steps is doing his thang – mixing up pace and shots; Rafa’s not always dealing with it well. His service holds more difficult than Stepanek’s.
Beauty of a shot from Steps: 15-15. Beautiful backhand cross-court winner from Rafa: 15-30. Rafa working a rally until he miss-times a forehand: 30-30. Rafa hits deep and then follows that up with a forehand that lands in the midcourt which Stepanek nets: 30-40. Nice backhand pass attempt from Rafa, difficult volley from Steps, forehand passing winner from Rafa – he breaks for a 4-2 lead.
Second serve. Rafa nets a forehand: 0-15. Steps fails another challenge: 15-15. Second serve. Steps nets the return: 30-15. Again: 40-15. Rafa holds without going to deuce. He’s up 5-2.
Rafa pushes Steps to draw an error: 0-15. Double fault: 0-30. Forehand down the line passing shot winner: 0-40. Rafa breaks at love to take the first set 6-2.
43 minutes; 2 aces, 66% 1st serves in; 79% won on 1st serve; 40% on second; 2/2 on BPs; 8 winners; 11 UFEs; 1/2 at net.
Step’s volley is out: 15-0. Rafa in midcourt, Steps get the ball at his feet and Rafa’s pissed that he nets the volley: 30-15. Passing shot winner from Steps: 30-30. Rafa nets backhand: 30-40. Ace down the middle: deuce. (Well, it was out, but Steps doesn’t challenge.) Steps cross-court forehand is out: game point. Rafa holds for 1-0.
Rafa’s service return sails wide: 15-0. Return winner: 15-15. That one is out: 30-15. Steps shot is out: 30-30. Stunning backhand passing shot winner from Rafa: 30-40. Second serve. Steps double faults to give Rafa a break: 2-0.
Short angled ball from Steps that Rafa can’t get to: 15-15. Second serve. Rafa sends a forehand wide: 15-30. Nice serve out wide and he follows it into the net to knock off a winning volley: 30-30. Rafa works a point well to draw an error: 40-30. Rafa consolidates for a 3-0 lead.
Strong hold for Stepanek.
Rafa’s forehand is well wide: 15-15. Many challenges in this game. I got bored. Steps finally won one, though – replay the 30-15 point. Nice slice volley from Rafa: 40-15. Players all over the court – point ends with a winner from Steps: 40-30. With a fierce forehand and a fist pump, Rafa holds for 4-1.
15-15. How the hell did Rafa hit that running forehand passing shot winner??? HOW? 15-30. Steps nets a backhand: 15-40. Steps dealt well with that passing shot attempt: 30-40. Rafa’s backhand return goes out, he challenges, but it was out: deuce. Second serve and Rafa’s return goes into the stands: game point. Another return of serve sent well out and Steps holds for 2-4.
Rafa works a point, but sends a forehand well out: 0-15. Nice serve out wide gives Rafa control of a point: 15-15. A bug flies into Step’s mouth? 30-15. Second serve. Rafa spins a slice that throws Steps off: 40-15. Stepanek’s shot is called out, he challenges, but the call was right. Rafa holds for 5-2.
Steps nets a backhand: 0-15. 0-30. Steps sticks his racket out for a volley and the ball completely misses it: 0-40. Second serve. Rafa’s shot is out: 15-40. Rafa wins!
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Nice play, Rafa. Vamos !
This was a weird match, not of high quality I thought. Let’s see how Nadal plays against Nishikori in the next round…
Rafa plays well enough to win easily. Vamos Rafa. We need his wins to fill up news in ATP website.
Steps is not easy. Rafa worked on hanging in there and working it out, as he usually does. The score line looked easy, but of course they are just numbers and don’t reflect the tension going on. Rafa worked hard and was successful. These are the matches he needs leading deeper into the tournament. Congrats to him; keep it going.
I agree Patzin, was a little in and out but never got the feeling that he was going to lose at all..just great to seem him play anyway, even if it is so bloody late at night.
A lot of FH errors but BH was more solid. He was hitting his FH really well in IW now he’s struggling with the timing. Anyone else think Rafa seemed grumpy & almost detached but still super focused. Weird vibe.
Yes. Although I did not watch the match yesterday, I thought his mood was pretty much the way you described it in IW as well.
I also totally agree with miri’s words when she says “between brilliant and weird errors”: very well put, he seems to win matches easily, not so easily or not at all depending on where he is between those two extremes on any given day. Also, opponents of different levels will take advantage more or less efficiently of the “weird error” part of his game.
Commies were RAVING about Nadal’s play! Said that Stepanek was playing really well and hitting shots that would be winners against anyone else, but that Nadal was ruthless and relentless. They complimented Stepanek on battling and not making it easy on Rafa, but said where many players would be rattled by what Stepanek was throwing at them, Rafa remained calm and figured out how to respond. Said Rafa’s performance was almost flawless, comprehensive and he continues to impress!
Vamos Rafa!
Whoops …..forgot to say I think the commentators were Robbie Koenig and Sam Gore
Thank you! I wish people could be more positive about Rafa’s performance. The Tennis Channel commentators are experts, and they were very impressed by Rafa’s performance. It was a good straight-set win over a seeded opponent.
Yep. I don’t know what some people expect from Rafa. He was serving really well – his placement was terrific – and his passing shots were to die for. He was trying lots of different things and playing aggressively and won fairly easily against a very good opponent. I mean, Stepanek is ranked #25 in the world so he’s not exactly chopped liver and Rafa beat him 2 and 2. Pretty good evening for Rafa I’d say. Even Sam Gore was raving about how well he played and Sam is definitely not a Rafa fan, so good on Rafa.
On to Nishikori. He’ll need his running shoes for that one but I have every confidence Rafa will show Kei how a champion plays. Vamos Rafa!!!
Some much needed optimism and positive aktitude indeed! There has been a lot of negativity around Rafa lately. Also, watching Nishikori play yesterday, I was impressed by his speed and shots. Rafa will need another above average performance to stay focused and outplay him.
Glad to see the results and appreciate all your comments.
Didn’t get to see the match – but from the descriptions at Tennisearth seems like he was serving really well. I SO like it when he’s serving well!
I love Rafa’s amazing passing shots (who doesn’t?); most of the time I miss them and have to see the rewind to fully understand where and how he sent the ball..:) Really amazing ! ..Stepanek is not to be underestimated, he has always been a tough one.. It was a solid match and Rafa did not have to be at his best to beat him. But aw those passing shots.. Yes, Rafa looked a little grumpy to me, too ..Perhaps it was the wind that bothered him..
VAMOS RAFA!
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Good win but he does seem grumpy when playing singles. Perhapse he is thinking the atp schedule is like slave driving, he always seems to be complaining about it in his press.
Yes Keith I thought he looked particularly grumpy last night, perhaps a bit like me …. it was 12 midnight when it came through to the UK.
I just saw on twitter that according to sources, Rafa resigned from the ATP players council before the tournament started. I think that explains his demeanour during the match. Considering he said how much the ATP issues had taken out of him last year, I think this is the best thing for him.
This was a good win over a tricky opponent. Rafa started out a bit shaky and indecisive, but as the match wore on he raised his level a couple of notches and played brilliantly. I thought he played his best tennis since the AO from half way through the first set onwards, which is a good sign. He has a very tough draw (by far the toughest of the top 4; playing a first match against Stepanek is brutal!), so he looked super focused, which he knows he needs to be to win the tough matches to come.
Correction: the Stepanek match was the second for Nadal, not the first!
Grumpy, really?. Didn’t seem that way to me.
Nor to me either. He seemed his normal intense self. *shrug*
Glad he resigned from the ATP counsul if this is true. He always got slated for speaking out imo, and he can do without the grief. In the match against Stephanek i thought Rafa started slow and did seem a little irritated but he found his gear and played some vintage Rafa shots. He never looked like he was ever gonna lose the match.
Just seen he has lost the doubles:(
Did anyone else notice that Rafa was serving in the mid to high 120′s in the first set? It looked like he was willing to take the chance of missing in order to go for the speed. (Over the past few months seems like he’s been telling interviewers that it’s a decision on his part not to serve fast so that he can be assured of placement and consistency.) Seems like he’s back to experimenting again. I’m glad to see it.
im watching the fed/roddick match and got me thinking…what happens if fed loses this match and rafa wins vs nishikori tomorrow, will it have any bearing on the standing?
Well there is 800 diff and Fed will lose about 300 cos he got to semi in 2011. I think Fed lost his 3rd round match with Roddick and Rafa already thro to 4th round. Im sure Rafa stays no 2 now no matter wot he does. Am i correct?