Australian Open: Rafael Nadal begins bid for twenty first Grand Slam with straight-set win

Australian Open: In the absence of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal is the one former champion left within the males’s singles draw and began off with a straight-set win over Nadal is gunning for a report twenty first Grand Slam title. (Reuters Photo)HIGHLIGHTSNadal can snatch the lads’s all-time Slam report outrightThe Spanish nice began fantastically at a sunbathed Rod Laver ArenaNadal will subsequent face the winner of wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis and qualifier Yannick HanfmannRafa Nadal launched his bid for a report twenty first Grand Slam title with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 trouncing of American Marcos Giron on Monday to succeed in the second spherical of the Australian Open.

With Djokovic despatched packing by Australian authorities and Roger Federer absent, Nadal can snatch the lads’s all-time Slam report outright by claiming the title at Melbourne Park.The solely former champion left within the draw, the Spanish nice began fantastically at a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena, breaking world quantity 66 Giron 5 occasions for the match and thrashing 34 winners previous the outclassed American.Sixth seed Nadal will face the winner of wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis and qualifier Yannick Hanfmann for a spot within the third spherical.Earlier, girls’s singles defending champion Naomi Osaka overcame an unexpectedly stiff problem from Colombian Camila Osorio to succeed in the second spherical of the Australian Open 6-3 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena on Monday.The Japanese former world primary seemed all enterprise as she raced to a 5-0 lead within the opening set however a primary maintain of serve invigorated Osorio, who then began chasing down all the things Osaka threw at her.Osaka wanted to avoid wasting two break factors to carry serve for the primary set and confronted two extra within the second stanza earlier than overpowering the inexperienced world quantity 50 along with her aggressive photographs from the baseline.Click right here for IndiaToday.in’s full protection of the coronavirus pandemic.