Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray Advance In Barcelona
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King of Clay Rafael Nadal and World No. 1 Andy Murray both advanced into the third round Wednesday in Barcelona.
Murray, who take a late wildcard to get more match play, got none when his opponent, Bernard Tomic, withdrew due to a back injury. Murray will face Feliciano Lopez on Thursday.
Seeking a 10th title in Barcelona, Nadal took the court with his name on it and destroyed Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-1, 6-2.
“I want to thank the club for this honor. It’s one of the most important tournaments for me, one of the courts where I had the best moments of my career,” said Nadal of the court. “This place has meant a lot to me and the club deciding to name the center court with my name makes it even more special.
“I think I played a solid match. I think it was a comfortable win,” Nadal added. “I played well, with the right intensity against a player that came in with a lot of victories on clay this year.”
Next for Nadal is big South African Kevin Anderson.
David Goffin, Roberto Bautista Agut and Alberto Ramos-Vinolas also were winners. Goffin will now face young phenom Karen Khachanov.
THURSDAY BARCELONA SCHEDULE
PISTA RAFA NADAL start 11:00 am
[LL] Y. Sugita (JPN) vs [7] P. Carreno Busta (ESP)
Not Before 12:30 pm
K. Anderson (RSA) vs [3] R. Nadal (ESP)
[1] [WC] A. Murray (GBR) vs [16] F. Lopez (ESP)
[5] D. Goffin (BEL) vs K. Khachanov (RUS)
[4] F. Lopez (ESP) / M. Lopez (ESP) vs L. Kubot (POL) / M. Zverev (GER)
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