BNP Paribas Open: Rafael Nadal terrific in tiebreakers in win over Reilly Opelka
There was nothing particularly spectacular about Rafael Nadel's fourth-round win at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, except for the fact that the Spanish star keeps winning.
Nadal became the second player in ATP Tour history to push his winning streak at the beginning of the year to 18 matches with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) win over the 6-foot-11 American Reilly Opelka. The streak is now the third longest ever and moves Nadal, a three-time winner of the BNP Paribas Open, into the quarterfinals at Indian Wells for the 12th time against Nick Kyrgios.
Nadal leads the series against Kyrgios 5-3, but the duo haven't faced each other in two years.
"Nick is difficult in any conditions, no? When he's playing well and when he's excited and motivated, he's one of the toughest opponents without a doubt, no?," Nadal said. "Thursday) is going to be a tough match, but we are in quarterfinals of Indian Wells, Masters 1000. We can't expect another thing, no? I have to expect a very tough opponent in front. I hope to be ready for it. I need to play well and let's see if I'm able to make that happen hopefully."
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Currently ranked fourth in the world, Nadal has now spent 860 consecutive weeks ranked in the top 10. In fact, the 24-year-old Opelka was 7 years old the last time Nadal was outside the top 10.
Nadal certainly didn't dominate the match Wednesday against Opelka, who had faced Nadal just once before in a loss. It wasn't until the tiebreaker of the first set that Nadal took control, winning the last four points for the 7-3 victory.
In a second set that saw Nadal making uncharacteristic mistakes including double faults and wild ground strokes, Opelka grabbed the edge with a 4-2 lead in the set with a break in the fifth game. But Nadal rallied with a break to tie the set at 4-4.
The pair stayed on serve through the end of the set, with Nadal again taking control in the tiebreak to close out the hard-serving American. At one point late in the second set, Opelka unleashed a 147 mile per hour serve, tied for the fastest on tour this year.
"It's about trying to hit balls that you don't take a lot of risks, but at the same time don't allow him to go in and go for the shot," Nadal said about facing an opponent like Opelka. "It's trying to find the right balance between these two things."
Keeping the winning going
While the 36-year-old Nadal has been one of the best players in the game for more than a decade, he has expressed some surprise early in the year about the winning streak coming off a year when he was limited by foot injuries and a bout with COVID-19. As the streak continues, Nadal said he's more comfortable with the idea of sustaining the streak.
"The human mentality is you get used to the good things. For me, I am not that kind of guy that thinks a lot about what happened, in terms of sports," Nadal said. "I just try to keep going. That's how this sport is, in my opinion. You don't have a lot of time to be very sad with the losses, and you don't have a lot of time for celebrations when you are winning.
"Of course, for me it's super surprising to be in the position that I am, winning three titles already, to be in the quarterfinals here at Indian Wells," added Nadal, who improved to 19-0 against American opponents since losing to John Isner at the 2017 Laver Cup.
The perfect start to the year doesn't mean that Nadal is feeling perfect. He admits to some pain in the foot from time to time, and that he felt some discomfort in the foot in the Opelka match, more in the second set than in the first.
"It's true that the last couple of days the foot has been bothering me a little bit more. Something that can happen," Nadal said. "We know that. Just try to be ready and stay positive because going to be my last tournament on hard (court). After this, we are going to go back to clay. That probably helps a little bit more."
For now, Nadal is just happy to be winning and to be back in Indian Wells, where he has three titles and says he enjoys everything about the tournament.
"I can't say it's a dream because I even couldn't dream about that three months ago, two months ago," Nadal said. "Yeah, things are going that way. The only thing that I can say is thanks to everybody who helps, everybody who supports me around the world, and thanks to life for this incredible opportunity that I am having. I am just enjoying every single moment."
Fast starts
Best starts in ATP history since 1990
Novak Djokovic (2011) 41-0
Novak Djokovic (2020) 26-0
Rafael Nadal (2022) 18-0
Roger Federer (2018) 17-0
Novak Djokovic (2013) 17-0
Pete Sampras (1997) 17-0
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Rafael Nadal grinds out 18th straight win to start 2022
