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SPORTSThursday 18 February 2016
Nadal, Ferrer and Thiem advance at Rio Open
STEPHEN WADE Rafael Nadal of Spain, returns the ball to Pablo Carreno of Spain, at the Rio Open tennis tourna- 22-year-old Austrian said.
AP Sports Writer ment, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. “The win against Rafa would
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — have been worth only half
After an hour-long delay Associated Press if I had lost the final.” No. 3
for rain, Rafael Nadal ad- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had his
vanced to the second Dominic Thiem, who had a He beat Nadal — the king “Both things gave me a match rained out against
round at the Rio Open Thiago Monteiro. They will
with 6-1, 6-4 win over fellow 6-3, 6-4 win over Pablo An- of clay — last week in the lot of confidence, but af- play Wednesday.
Spaniard Pablo Carreno. In first-round upsets, Fed-
Nadal won gold in the Bei- dujar of Spain. semifinals in Buenos Aires, ter the match with Nadal I erico Delbonis of Argentina
jing Olympics in 2008 but beat sixth-seeded Jack
missed the London Olym- Not much will faze Thiem in and then won the event for wanted to give everything Sock of the United States
pics with an injury. De- 7-5, 6-1 and Alexandr Dol-
spite being asked about this week’s Rio Open. his fourth clay-court title. to win the tournament,” the gopolov upset No. 8 seed
it repeatedly, he’s staying Thomaz Bellucci 6-7 (3), 7-5,
away from talking about 6-2.
the Rio’s Olympics that On the women’s side, top-
open in six months. seeded Teliana Pereira of
“The Olympics is a very im- Brazil lost 6-3, 7-5 to Petra
portant event, a very spe- Martic of Croatia, and sec-
cial one, and I’m going to ond-seeded Johanna Lars-
try my best when the Olym- son of Sweden defeated
pics arrive,” Nadal said. Lourdes Dominguez Lino of
“But for now I’m playing Spain 7-5, 6-4.
the ATP tournament in Rio. Pereira’s early loss is a blow
That’s the most important for the women’s side of the
thing for me.” combined WTA-ATP event
Also advancing Tuesday on outdoor clay. She is only
were No. 2 David Ferrer, ranked No. 43 but gave lo-
who beat Nicolas Jarry of cal organizers a hometown
Chile 6-3, 7-6 (3), and No. 5 favorite.q
