Eleven-time winner Rafael Nadal is set to begin his title defence at the Barcelona Open against Leonardo Mayer.
Mayer moved into the second round after defeating Romanian Marius Copil 6-3 6-7(3) 7-5. The 63rd-ranked Argentine saved all five break points he faced in a match lasting more than two and a half hours.
After a first round bye, world No.2 Nadal will commence his week at the clay-court tournament on Wednesday. He is coming off a loss to Fabio Fognini in the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo.
“My personal opinion is that I played (against Fognini) one of the worst matches on clay,” Nadal said in Barcelona.
“It’s a reality. There is no need to hide it. What has happened has happened.”
Smile, @RafaelNadal ????
????: @bcnopenbs pic.twitter.com/vK9Q00qzDG
— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) April 22, 2019
Fognini, the champion in Monte Carlo, will play either wildcard Nicola Kuhn or qualifier Federico Delbonis, who meet on Tuesday.
NEWS: Fognini crowned Monte Carlo champion
World No.25 Diego Schwartzman, who had to go through qualifying after missing the deadline to enter the main draw, defeated Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6 6-4 6-2.
The reward for the Argentine is a second-round match against third-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Marcel Granollers was beaten 7-5 4-6 6-4 by lucky loser Chilean Nicolas Jarry, who will face German second seed Alexander Zverev in the next round round.
Qualifying: Granollers d. Jarry in 3 sets
Main Draw: Jarry d. Granollers in 3 setsLucky Loser indeed, @NicoJarry ????????
????: @TennisTV | #BarcelonaOpen pic.twitter.com/YFEpCMIUZX
— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) April 22, 2019
In other opening round results, Fernando Verdasco defeated wildcard Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-3 in an all-Spanish affair and Taylor Fritz got past US compatriot Opelka Reilly 6-3 6-4. American Mackenzie McDonald was also a winner, beating Taro Daniel of Japan 6-2 6-2.
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