Rafael Nadal of Spain was barely tested en route to the third round of the Olympic tennis event as he beat former world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday.
Nadal, the incoming men's number one, took the first set in 45 minutes by breaking his opponent in the fourth and the sixth games. A nervous Hewitt found it difficult to gain any control of the opening set as the Spaniard sent the Australian to the corners of the court with his powerful baseline work.
"Nadal hits the ball extremely heavy from both sides, but especially his forehand a lot heavier than anyone else on the tour," said Hewitt after the match. "He doesn't give you a lot of cheap points out there and makes you work extremely hard."
The Australian fans saw a glimmer of hope when Hewitt saved three set points, only for Nadal to finally cement the opening set 6-1 with his 10th forehand winner.
The second set followed a similar pattern, although the Australian did manage to break Nadal's serve in the second game. The break was his only one of six break opportunities in the match. Hewitt had 34 unforced errors in the 90-minute match.
Nadal, who said it was one of the best matches he has played, meets Russian Igor Andreev in the next round.
"Andreev hits the ball very hard, has a big forehand and a good serve. He played well a couple of weeks ago in Toronto. I defeated him there and I will try to do it again," Nadal said.
But Hewitt's Olympic campaign is not over just yet as he meets Nadal again in the second round of the men's doubles on Wednesday.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2008)