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Round of 16 Report: Nadal dominates Sousa in last 16 tie


Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Sport

Rafael Nadal is through to the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championship after defeating 30-year-old Joao Sousa in straight sets. The Spanish third seed never looked in danger of losing a set as he came out victorious 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

Match Overview:

Nadal broke Sousa’s serve straight away in the first game, with the Spaniard displaying an impressive range of shots. He ended up taking a 3-0 lead comfortably without losing a point on his serve and then breaking Sousa’s serve again. Despite making his first unforced error in the fourth game, Nadal raced 4-0 ahead without any hitches.

Sousa finally won his first game in the fifth game, holding his serve for the first time in the game. Both players continued to hold their serve and Nadal won the opening set 6-2, within half an hour.

Similarly to the first set, Nadal broke Sousa’s serve straight away in the second. Nadal squandered two break points to take a 4-1 lead, with his Portuguese opponent fighting back to bring the set to 3-2. However, Nadal did break in the seventh game to take a 5-2 lead. Sousa could count himself unlucky after playing well in those few games. The second set was taken by Nadal one game later to match the scoreline of the first set, 6-2.

Despite winning the first game, Sousa fell behind in the third set after losing three consecutive legs. The nail in the coffin for Sousa was sealed when Nadal broke again in the seventh game to make it 5-2 to the Spanish third seed. He finished the match with a perfect game, not losing a single point in the eighth game to take the match.

Wimbledon 2019 Record Head-to-Head:

Sousa:

1st Round: Paul Jubb (6-0, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1)

2nd Round: Marin Cilic (6-4, 6-4, 6-4)

3rd Round: Dan Evans (4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4)

Nadal:

1st Round: Yuichi Sugita (6-3, 6-1, 6-3)

2nd Round: Nick Kyrgios (6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6)

3rd Round: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6-2, 6-3, 6-2)

What’s Next For Nadal?

Nadal faces Sam Querry in the quarter-final on Wednesday, a match he’ll expect to win.

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