Nadal cruises past Eschauer
Thursday, 28 June 2007 22:25Second seed Rafael Nadal made predictably swift progress at Wimbledon on Thursday by sweeping aside the challenge of Austrian veteran Werner Eschauer.
Three-time French Open champion Nadal was not expected to be threatened by the 33-year-old, who recently rose to a career-high ranking of 72.
And so it proved as Nadal wrapped up a 6-2 6-4 6-1 victory in one hour and 36 minutes on Centre Court to move into the third round.
If the eventual outcome was true to form, the start of the match certainly was not as Eschauer broke Nadal for a 2-0 lead.
It proved to be a red rag to a Spanish bull, however, as the 21-year-old stormed back to claim the next six games, breaking his opponent three times in the process.
Going a set down did not change Eschauer's unorthodox approach as he continued to stand up between games.
He gave a better account of himself in the second set, displaying the kind of form which has seen him enjoy plenty of success on the Challenger circuit in recent years.
Eschauer limited Nadal to just one break of serve, that coming in the seventh game, but it proved decisive as the Spaniard served it out to establish a commanding lead.
The third set proved less taxing for a man expected to challenge Roger Federer for the crown.
Nadal broke three times to complete a resounding win in what was, in all honesty, a complete mis-match.
