Rafael Nadal vs. Gilles Muller: Score, Reaction from 2016 Indian Wells

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: March 14, 2016

commentComment        

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when tennis superstar Rafael Nadal was a nearly unstoppable force in Indian Wells, California. He looked vulnerable at times Sunday against Gilles Muller during the second round of the 2016 BNP Paribas Open, but he came through in the decisive third set to clinch a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

This was Nadal's first match of the tournament after an opening-round bye and his initial step toward a potential fourth title in the event. According to ATPWorldTour.com, the Spaniard won the BNP Paribas Open in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and reached the semifinals every year from 2006 to 2013.

However, he bowed out in the third round in 2014 and the quarterfinals last year and appeared to lose some of the intimidation factor he typically enjoyed. He didn't look intimidating Sunday, but he did manage to outlast Muller in a grueling third set that remained on serve until the final game. 

According to BNPParibasOpen.com, Muller notched six aces, compared to Nadal's one, but the victor was clutch with critical games hanging in the balance and saved 11 of 14 break points.

Despite the loss, Muller hung with Nadal for the first few games as the two players held serve, which likely came as no surprise to Brad Gilbert of ESPN:



However, Nadal notched a critical break with a 3-2 lead to move ahead 4-2. From there, he cruised to the first-set victory, 6-2, and appeared to be well on his way to an easy win. TennisTV highlighted the fact Nadal was particularly impressive on first-serve points:



The momentum quickly faded early in the second set, when Muller seized a 3-1 lead with a break. It looked like the challenger would move ahead 4-1 until Nadal pulled out a beautiful shot, via TennisTV:



Even with Nadal turning in shots like that, Muller took control and won the final three games of the set to force a third and f...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!