Defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal continued his preparations for this year’s trip to Flushing Meadows, with a tough clash against compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the Cincinnati Masters for a place in the last eight. Nadal went into the tournament as the second seed and with an 11-0 record against his opponent. Things were far from simple for the 10-time Grand Slam winner though, with Verdasco pushing him all the way in a gruelling three sets. Anyone looking at the US Open betting will know Nadal needs to lift his game if he’s going to challenge at the final major of the year.
After Nadal took the opening set on a tie break 7-6, Verdasco got the better at the end of the second to take it 7-6. The third set followed suite from the first two and went all way until Nadal claimed the win 11-9 in just over three and a half hours. The 25 year old will now take his place in the last eight, although just how much this match took out of him remains to be seen. Mardy Fish will be waiting for Nadal in the quarter-finals after the American came through his tie 7-5 7-5 against Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Nadal will just be hoping to get through the rest of this tournament without having to go through such a tough tie again. After this event and Nadal will continue to finalise his preparations for the defence of his US Open title, which will get under way at the end of this month and the tennis betting indicates he has a good chance of success.
After suffering defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, Nadal will be looking to re-establish himself as the world’s best by lifting the final Grand Slam of the season and finishing the year tied with the Serbian at two apiece. After such a shift in power this year, the US Open will give an indication of what to expect from next year.
