By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, May 23, 2016
A ruthless Rafal Nadal dropped just five points on serve steamrolling Sam Groth, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, in 80 minutes for the fastest French Open win of his career.
Photo credit: Getty
The running commentary Sam Groth delivered between points amplified the extreme challenge he faced racing into the eye of the red storm.
Rafael Nadal zipped another dipping topspin pass by the lunging serve-and-volleyer eliciting "too good! too good!" accolades from Groth. When the world No. 100 bumped a routine volley into net he barked at himself "so bad! so bad!"
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Then Nadal transformed the severity of Groth's task into utter absurdity leaving the Aussie speechless.
Late in the third set, Nadal raced back to the baseline to retrieve a lob and flicked a tweener pass down the line that brought the crowd to its feet and Groth to his knees.
That shot brought smiles to the faces of both players.
The king of clay conjured some show-stopping tricks making Groth disappear, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in 80 minutes—the fastest French Open match of Nadal's career.
Launching his quest to become the first man to capture 10 Grand Slam titles at any major event, a ruthless Nadal dissected Groth in a rare appearance on Suzanne Lenglen Court.
Playing each point with a purpose, Nadal ravaged the Aussie's one-handed backhand hitting 25 winners against only three unforced errors. Nadal raised his Roland Garros record to 71-2, including a 16-0 mark on Lenglen Court.
Seeking his first Roland Garros win and second career clay-court win, Groth joked before the match switching the surface from clay to grass would be his best shot at an upset.
The former Aussie Rules football player kept moving forward—he attacked net 39 times—but Nadal shredded him with passes.
Untouchable on serve, Nadal dropped just five points total on serve and never gave Groth breathing room after breaking for a 2-1 lead.
A frustrated Groth flipped his racquet in the air after losing another second-serve point.
"So bad! So bad!" Groth barked at himself. A low Nadal return handcuffed the Aussie, who bumped a volley into net for set point.
Scraping another low volley off his shoelaces, Groth was at the mercy of the nine-time champion who swooped in to whip a forehand pass, seizing the 25-minute opening set on a six-game surge.
When Nadal wasn't ripping shots past the serve-and-volleyer or buzzing dipping topspin at his feet, he played over the Aussie's head tucking some lobs right inside the baseline.
A ruthless Nadal reeled off 14 consecutive points steamrolling to a 4-1 second-set lead. Handcuffed by the Spaniard's heavy topspin to his one-handed backhand, Groth looked as frustrated as a man trying to shrug a shot put off his shoulders.
The fourth-seeded Nadal delivered 13 of his 25 winners in the final set, cruising into round two. He will face Facundo Bagnis or Kenny De Schepper next.