PARIS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Rafael Nadal defeated Marton Fusovics of Hungary to reach the second round of the 2024 Olympic tennis tournament here on Sunday, while China's female players progressed in the singles.
Cheered on by the crowd, Nadal clinched another victory at Roland Garros, beating Fusovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in two and a half hours. Although the Hungarian once led 3-2 in the third set, Nadal showed his tenacity to nail down the victory.
"It was a pleasure to play against Rafa," Fucsovics said afterwards. "His fighting spirit is at the top still. He is not at his best level [of] playing, but if he has a good day, he can beat anybody."
"I started playing very well in the first set, and then I lost the rhythm on court, lost a little bit of the focus and intensity and when that happens, the opponent starts to play better, and then I was in trouble," said the 38-year-old Spaniard, who has claimed 14 French Open titles at Roland Garros.
"But I'm happy for the victory, it means a lot to keep going and have the chance to play again tomorrow," Nadal added.
The victory paved way for a blockbuster showdown that will come on Monday, when Nadal will again play against Novak Djokovic, his long-time rival, who has 24 Grand Slam titles, two more than the Spaniard.
"It's been always super special to play against Novak. But the difference is normally we have been playing for finals or for semifinals. This is a second round," Nadal said.
"It's true that every single match I played against Novak, or almost every single match I played against him, I was in a different situation than I am today, so that makes it much more difficult for me. I'm more unpredictable now, but I always have hope, I always believe, and I want to give my best," Nadal noted.
Also on Sunday, all female players from China reached the second round.
22-year-old Wang Xinyu claimed a quick victory, beating Tamara Korpatsch of Germany 6-2, 6-1 in around one hour. Wang Xiyu, playing in the court next to her compatriot, followed to advance with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Czech player Linda Noskova, while Yuan Yue achieved a hard-fought victory of 7-5, 6-7(0), 6-2 against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
"It was a long game. I feel like I really gave it my best shot. No matter what the result is, I can accept it, because I think I've played my everything. I think it's my best match on clay so far this year," said Yuan.
Zheng Qinwen, the tournament's sixth seed, brought China's tennis team its fourth victory of the afternoon, defeating Sara Errani from Italy 6-0, 6-0.
"Under the tight schedule of the Olympics, I think it's better to finish the competition as soon as possible to save energy to fight for the tougher opponents to come," said Zheng, who defended her title on the red clay of the Palermo Ladies Open in Italy a week before Paris.
"Because the clay court is a venue that tests players' energy. The longer you deal with your opponent on the red clay, the great burden will be on your body," Zheng added.
China's sole male player Zhang Zhizhen, laid low with dizziness and headache, lost to the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac in three sets.
