The match victory was the 80th of Nadal’s career at the French Open.
By ALLON SINAIIsrael No. 1 Dudi Sela(photo credit: PAVEL LEBEDA/CESKA SPORTOVNI)
Dudi Sela’s participation at Roland Garros came to an early ending on Tuesday evening when he suffered a straight-sets first round defeat to Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer.The 33-year-old Israeli, ranked No. 104 in the world, got off to a good start, but he couldn’t keep the momentum going, ultimately falling 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1 to the world No. 122. Israel’s only representative in the singles events in Paris has won only one main draw match at the French Open since 2009.The defeat on Tuesday continues Sela’s underwhelming season to date. He has been knocked out in the first round in seven of 11 tournaments he has played, including at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, as well as on three different occasions on the Challenger circuit.Also, Rafael Nadal advanced into the second round of the French Open on Tuesday, posting a rain-interrupted 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(9) victory over 129th-ranked Simone Bolelli of Italy.No. 9 seed John Isner and sixth-seeded Kevin Anderson advanced as did No. 3 Marin Silic, who handled James Duckworth in straight sets.In a match suspended by rain Monday, Nadal avoided dropping a set at the French Open for the first time in three years.“It was a very difficult match, Simone played very aggressively, he had many chances in the third set,” Nadal said.Nadal was able to erase four set points to spring into the next round and continue his bid for a record-extending 11th championship at Roland Garros.Bolelli became the first player to win more than eight games against Nadal at Roland Garros since Novak Djokovic in 2015 quarterfinal. The match victory was the 80th of Nadal’s career at the French Open.Meanwhile, even the Parisian storm clouds cleared for Serena Williams on Tuesday, as the new mother’s baby steps back to Grand Slam tennis became a stride into the second round of the French Open.Krystina Pliskova played her part across the net on center court, but there was only one star.Dressed in a skintight, all-in-one black bodysuit, broken up by a vivid scarlet belt, Serena captivated the French crowd from the start of the contest to its 7-6(4), 6-4 conclusion.Reuters contributed to this report.
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