Tag Archives: Horacio Zeballos

Bellucci Reaches Quarterfinals at the Brazil Open

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Thomaz Bellucci is making a statement at his home tournament…

The 26-year-old Brazilian tennis player continued to feed off his home crowd Thursday, defeating Austria’s Andreas Haider-Maurer 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Brazil Open.

Thomaz Bellucci

Bellucci, a wild card in the tournament, broke Haider-Maurer’s serve early in the third set and held on to close the match in 2 hours, 36 minutes at the Ibirapuera arena.

Bellucci, currently ranked 108th, will now play Martin Klizan of Slovakia, who upset third-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-4, 6-3.

Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina reached the quarterfinals with a marathon 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-5 victory over Albert Ramos of Spain in nearly three hours. He will face Paolo Lorenzi of Italy, who cruised past win Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-4, 6-3.

Top-seeded Tommy Haas will play his quarterfinal match against 116th-ranked Horacio Zeballos of Argentina on Friday.

Nadal Defeats Federer in First Real Comeback Test

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In a battle of two injured titans, Rafael Nadal has come away with a big win…

The 26-year-old Spanish tenista downed rival Roger Federer 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to record the biggest win so far in his comeback to the ATP Tour.

Rafael Nadal

The 29th meeting in one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history didn’t live up to the hype, as Federer struggled throughout Thursday night’s contest with a back injury that limited his normally fluid movement.

Nadal, the world No. 5, played aggressively from the get-go and earned his first break point with Federer serving at 2-2 in the first set. Although he missed out on that opportunity, Nadal converted another chance two games later and never looked back.

“I played a fantastic first set, in my opinion. The second set was strange,” Nadal said in the post-match press conference. “The second set, I think Roger didn’t fight as usual. He probably had some problems and he didn’t feel enough comfortable to keep fighting.”

“Both of us tried to play our best. I played much better than yesterday (a three-set victory Wednesday night over Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis). My movements today were much, much better than yesterday, so I’m very happy for that, especially after a long match yesterday, to be able to compete well the next day,” said  Nadal.

Federer, meanwhile, said the injury was no worse than in his round-of-16 match Wednesday against countryman Stanislas Wawrinka, which he pulled out 7-5 in the third set.

“(It was the) same as against Stan. I mean, I could play,” Federer said. “I’m happy to be out there and able to compete. But it’s obviously a small issue.”

Nadal, who was forced to pull out of last year’s 2012 London Games and U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open, started his comeback early last month at a small clay-court event in Viña de Mar, Chile, losing in the final there to Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.

But he hasn’t lost a match since, winning two other Latin American clay-court events in Sao Paulo and Acapulco, Mexico, and making a smooth transition to hard courts with three match victories so far in Indian Wells.

Nadal Earns Second Comeback Title at the Mexican Open

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And just like that Rafael Nadal has earned his second title of the year…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis star routed his fellow countryman David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2 in Saturday’s final of the Mexican Open in what proved to be a powerful performance that indicated he has quickly returned to form after a seven-month absence from the game due to knee injury.

Rafael Nadal

Ferrer, the Acapulco tournament’s top seed this year, was a three-time defending champion and had won 19 straight matches at this event. But the world’s No. 4 player could find no answer to Nadal, losing to his Spanish compatriot in only an hour and 5 minutes.

It’s Nadal’s second title in 2013, following his win at the Brazil Open. In his first tournament back was upset by Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos at the Chilean Open.

Nadal Earns First Post-Injury Title…

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Following an upset loss in Chile last weekend , Rafael Nadal is finally back in title-winning form after a seven-month injury-related hiatus…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated Argentina’s David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday in the finals of the Brazil Open to earn his first title since returning to competitive tennis this month.

Rafael Nadal
“I hope this will be the beginning of a good start,” Nadal told the crowd after the match, which included his father, Sebastian.

Nadal, currently ranked No. 5 in the world, rolled over Nalbandian, who is also mounting a comeback after a months-long absence from the ATP Tour, in the first set.

The win capped “a very beautiful week,” said Nadal, adding that he wanted to everyone who supported him during “these complicated times.”

Nalbandian played Nadal to 3-3 in the second set, but Nadal then stepped up his game and took total control of the match.

Rafael Nadal

The crowd at Sao Paulo’s Ibirapuera arena went wild when Nadal won match point and threw his arms in the air.

Nadal, coming off a seven-month hiatus from the ATP Tour due to injury and illness, hadn’t been victorious at a tournament since last June, when he won his record seventh French Open title.

Nadal went off the ATP Tour due to a knee injury after suffering a shocking second-round loss at last year’s Wimbledon at the hands of unheralded Czech Lukas Rosol, in what’s considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the prestigious tournament.

He’d planned to return to action in late December in Abu Dhabi, but a stomach virus forced him to withdraw from that exhibition tournament and he also pulled out of the recently concluded Australian Open.

The Brazil Open is the second of three Latin American clay-court events Nadal signed up to play in February.

The Spanish star was upset in the final of Viña del Mar – his first tournament back – by Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos. He’s next scheduled to compete in the Mexican Open later this month.

Zeballos Defeats Nadal to Earn His First Pro Title

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Following a decade of playing professional tennis, Horacio Zeballos finally has his first pro title… And he earned it by defeating the King of Clay.

The 27-year-old Argentine tennis player defeated Rafael Nadal – back on the tour after a seventh month hiatus due to an injured left knee – in the finals at the Chilean Open 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-4 for his first title on any surface, looking every bit the equal of the seven-time French Open champion.

Horacio Zeballos

Nadal was the overwhelming favorite at the tournament, where he was shooting for this 37th title on clay. He said just being able to play tennis again was some reward.

“It was a week when we didn’t know how the body would respond, the knee,” said Nadal. “At least we have seen we can compete up to a certain level. It’s true I have had good days and bad days that impact on my play.”

It was only the fifth loss for Nadal in a singles final on clay.

Zeballos matched Nadal shot for shot with no service breaks until the third set, dropping to his back on the red clay surface after winning.

“This is the game of my life,” said Zeballos said. “Playing against the best player of all time, or one of the best in the history of tennis. It’s a dream, unforgettable. I will never forget this moment.”

Horacio Zeballos

Zeballos said the two chatted briefly, and Nadal offered some advice.

“He told me: ‘Enjoy this title, this is your first, so just enjoy it,’ ” said Zeballos.

Nadal had most of the support, with fans waving Spanish flags and some wearing T-shirts saying “Vamos Rafa” and “Viva Espana.” The Spaniard has been treated like a native since arriving in Chile for his comeback tournament.

Zeballos joined some pretty exclusive company on Sunday. He joined Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to beat Rafael Nadal in the final of a clay-court event. Nadal also had won 15 straight matches on clay.

Meanwhile, Nadal plays again this week in the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo, and later this month on clay in Acapulo, Mexico — all aimed at getting him ready for a run at this eighth French Open title.