World number three Rafael Nadal remained undefeated in hardcourt matches this year following his second round victory over German qualifier Benjamin Becker at the Cincinnati Masters 6-2, 6-2. Already armed with four Masters titles this year, the Spaniard is aiming for a fifth in Cincinnati. Only one player has won five ATP World Tour Masters in a single season which is Novak Djokovic in 2011.
“When you change cities, change a little bit of weather, the feelings on the ball is different,” said Nadal. “The speed of the court is not exactly the same. It’s a little bit slower here than in Montreal. And when you have these kind of tournaments back to back it’s not easy, but I’m very happy with the way I played this afternoon and the way that I adapted the game.”
Nadal has yet to win the Cincinnati Masters. He’s reached the semifinals twice in the past. He will gun for his 50th match win of this year as he faces Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the third round.
