July 28, (THEWILL) -Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to Roland Garros on Sunday, advancing to the second round of the Olympic tennis tournament. The Spanish tennis star defeated Hungarian, Marton Fucsovics, 6-1 4-6 6-4 in a thrilling match that delighted the Parisian crowd.
Nadal’s victory sets up an eagerly anticipated clash with Serbian rival, Novak Djokovic, in the next round. The 38-year-old Spaniard, who has won 14 French Open titles at Roland Garros, demonstrated his enduring clay court skills despite a challenging second set.
In the women’s draw, Chinese sixth seed, Qinwen Zheng, dominated former French Open finalist, Sara Errani, with a 6-0 6-0 victory. Greek player, Maria Sakkari, also progressed easily, defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-0 6-1.
The evening session will feature US flagbearer Coco Gauff taking on Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. Reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev of Germany will close out the day’s play against Spanish opponent Jaume Munar.
Nadal’s return to the Paris clay has reignited hopes of a golden finale to his illustrious career. The 2008 Olympic champion remains a fan favourite at Roland Garros, where he has built much of his legacy over the past two decades.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
