Spain v Japan 3 - 0
Roberto Bautista Agut bt. Go Soeda 6-2 6-4
Rafael Nadal bt. Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(4) 6-4
R.Nadal/P.Carreno Busta bt. B.McLachlan/G.Soeda 7-6(5) 4-6 10-6
Team Spain reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Cup 2020 after their win over Team Japan. Nadal, Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Feliciano Lopez and captain Francisco Roig will now travel to Sydney, where Spain will prepare to play a tie during Friday’s night session.
After the match, in an on-court ceremony, Nadal was presented with the 2019 Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the third time (also 2010 and 2018).
Rafa: “It was a very tough one and we played under heavy conditions today, because for me it was the first day that I played under the sun. The first set was important, and then in the second I had some tough moments, but at the same time I was able to manage well to get the break at the right moment. So I’m happy for the victory. I played against a player that has started the season on fire, winning two great matches against two very good opponents and with very comfortable results. So it's a positive victory for me and it's an important victory for the team. We will go to Sydney straight [away] with the confidence that we didn't lose a tie.
“He's a great player with a lot of talent. He really does a lot of very difficult things very easy. He's able to manage very well the timing in a point, and his movement is among the best on tour. He started the season very well, I’m happy to see him back at this very, very high level after tough injuries.”
• Rafa received the 2019 Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award
• Last game and Interview
• Doubles
• Match Tie Break
Photos: Getty Images; APP