Rafael Nadal “tore away” the victory in Madrid and is in the round of 16! “The Matador”, tortured by Cachin at Caja Magica

Rafael Nadal, winner of five titles in Madrid, qualified for this year’s edition in the round of 16, after defeating Argentina’s Pedro Cachin, ranked 91st ATP, in three sets, in a great fight. Rafa prevailed with the score of 6-1, (5) 6-7, 6-3, at the end of a match that lasted three hours and five minutes of play.

Solid on his feet, Rafa played a very good first set in front of Cachin, who seemed affected by the opportunity to meet the second most titled tennis player in history. In the first direct match between Nadal and Cachin, the second set had a completely opposite development to the opening leg.

The Iberian dropped the pace quite a bit, giving Cachin a chance to take the initiative. The Argentinian led 4-1, but Rafa managed to come back and send the set into a tiebreak. Nadal started weaker there as well, Cachin pulling away to 4-1. Although he tried to come back, Cachin crossed the finish line first, managing to send the game to the decider.

The third set started with a break on Nadal’s side, but there were twists and turns that made the decider truly spectacular. Aided by the crowd and experience, Rafa knew exactly when to apply pressure on his opponent, so the Argentinian Cachin succumbed in the end, being eliminated in the third round.

After the very good matches with Blanch (6-1, 6-0) and De Minaur (7-6, 6-3), Rafa ticked off another encouraging performance with a view to participating in Roland Garros, showing that he is more and more comfortable on the field. Next, Rafa will meet number 30 favorite Jiri Lehecka, the 31st ATP seed, for a place in the quarterfinals.

Rafael Nadal won five titles at the Caja Magica throughout his career, a record. His last triumph here came in 2017, after a final played in the company of Dominic Thiem. Rafael Nadal has won three consecutive ATP matches after 602 days, the last time he did it at the 2022 US Open.