Flashes of old form from Rafa

Nadal prevails over Croatian teen Coric

[caption id="attachment_98538" align="alignright" width="218"] HE'S BACK: Spain's Rafael Nadal returns to Croatia's Borna Coric during their US Open match at the USTA National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, New York. PICTURE: EPA[/caption]

RAFAEL Nadal showed flashes of his top form under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium to beat young Croatian Borna Coric 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4 and close day one at the US Open on Monday.

The first two sets brought a vintage performance on a sultry night from Nadal, who has dropped to world No 8 in what has been a lackluster season for the 29-year-old Spaniard.

Given his last chance to keep alive a 10-year streak of winning at least one grand slam title, 14-times major winner Nadal schooled the 18-year-old Coric over the first two sets.

But Coric responded with his best tennis and broke the Spaniard in the 10th game of the third set to send the match to a hard-fought fourth set.

The Spaniard finally prevailed thanks to a service break on a forehand service return winner in the seventh game.

“It’s a very happy moment for me,” Nadal said.

He returned to Flushing Meadows for the first time since his 2013 US Open triumph after missing last year with a wrist injur y.

“Last year was very hard, not having chance to being back in one of my favourite tournaments.”

Nadal avenged a 6-2 7-6 loss to Coric last year at Basel in his only previous encounter with the up-and-coming Coric, who at No 33 is the youngest player in the world’s top-50.

Coric, who reached the semifinals this year in Dubai and Nice, leads all teenagers with 22 wins this season on the ATP Tour, nine more than Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic beat USA’s Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3 6-2 6-4. – Reuters, AFP