Rafael Nadal met Rogerio Dutra Silva in round two of the US Open on Thursday night.
Nadal, who was the bookmakers' pre-tournament favourite to win the men's event at Flushing Meadows, had never previously faced the Brazilian.
In turned out to be a short, but sweet, encounter at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as the world number two was at his imperious best, dropping only three games and sealing victory in just over 90 minutes.
Recap how the match unfolded below with Sports Mole's blow-by-blow text coverage.
Here we go then. The start of this match is just 10 minutes away.
Nadal, who is unbeaten on hard courts in 2013 and looking to record his 17th straight win, has just been talking to host broadcaster ESPN...
"I am very excited to get on court," says Nadal. "Night sessions are always special here in New York."
"I always have respect for my opponent. He had an amazing [4-6 3-6 7-6 6-2 7-6] victory over [Vasek] Pospisil in the last round, so he must be playing very well," adds Nadal, who then admits that he used YouTube to research Dutra Silva.
The Brazilian sounds like he is just here to have a good time. He says: "I'm going to enjoy the moment against a real legend."
Carlos Ramos is in charge tonight and the Portuguese umpire calls time. Dutra Silva to serve first...
TRIPLE BREAK POINT NADAL: The Spaniard keeps it simple early on, just getting the ball back into court. The tactic pays off, as Dutra Silva provides a trio of slack errors.
DUTRA SILVA HOLDS: The Brazilian finds a few first serves and manages to reel off five straight points to hold to 40. He dug himself out of a huge hole there. What a start!
No such drama from Nadal, who gets on the board with a comfortable hold to 15.
DOUBLE BREAK POINT NADAL: Dutra Silva is certainly committing to his shots. His policy of aiming for the lines backfires though, as he slams a fierce forehand inches wide. 15-40.
NADAL BREAKS: The Spaniard let his opponent off in game one, but there is no such reprieve for Dutra Silva on this occasion. The underdog whips a backhand wide and Nadal breaks to 15.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is finally getting close to full capacity, but there are still some supporters taking their seats. Nadal briefly pauses to stare at a couple of latecomers, before he resumes play and holds to love.
The Brazilian halts Rafa's run of three consecutive games by recording a much-needed hold to 15.
Dutra Silva wins the first point of game six, before Rafa unleashes a huge forehand that lands plumb on corner of baseline and sideline. The Brazilian then puffs out his cheeks and mutters "wow" under his breath. Wow indeed! 15-15.
Nadal holds to 30 courtesy of an ace.
BREAK POINT NADAL: Dutra Silva's forehand is on fire at the moment. His backhand, not so much though. The Brazilian slaps wide at the net and it is advantage Rafa.
NADAL BREAKS: Rafa crunches a stinging backhand pass down the line. Dutra Silva, who again rushed forward, can only pat into the net and Rafa will now serve for the opening set.
FIRST SET NADAL: Power, placement and (close to) perfection. Rafa is on fire right now. He holds to 15 and claims the opening set after 33 minutes.
Rafa won 29 of 46 total points in that opening set. The world number two hit nine winners and six unforced errors, while Dutra Silva produced six unforced errors and just four winners.
Dutra Silva is ready to get the second set underway but, as usual, Nadal is refusing to be rushed. For anyone who has ever wondered exactly what Rafa's pre-point routine is, I have observed closely and it is as follows... Fixes underpants, picks shirt away from each shoulder, scratches nose, rubs ear, scratches nose again and then rubs other ear. Every time.
Good start to the second set for Dutra Silva, who holds to 15.
BREAK POINT DUTRA SILVA: The Brazilian benefits from a lucky net cord, before punishing Nadal with a deep forehand from the net. Rafa's racquet makes contact, but his makeshift lob drops long. 30-40.
Nadal saves the break point and goes on to hold to 40. Dutra Silva is kicking himself because he missed a crucial sitter at the net in that game. After playing a tidy drop shot, the Brazilian got complacent. He clearly wasn't expecting Rafa to make a return and, when the Spaniard did, Dutra Silva's shock was there for all to see as he hooked a simple backhand horribly wide.
NADAL BREAKS: To add insult to injury, Nadal wins game three as well, breaking to 40.
A sniff of a break-back chance for Dutra Silva, whose heavy striking sees him move 0-30 ahead.
Ruthless Rafa quickly extinguishes his opponent's optimism, winning four straight points and holding to 30. Then, for the first time tonight, the 12-time Grand Slam winner lets out a scary war cry of "VAMOS!"
TRIPLE BREAK POINT NADAL: Dutra Silva's spirit seems to be broken as Rafa earns three chances to secure a double break in set two.
NADAL BREAKS: The unstoppable Spaniard breaks to 15.
Rafa holds to 30. He is now just one game away from taking a two-set lead.
SET POINT NADAL: Dutra Silva shanks a forehand into the New York sky and then looks down in shear disappointment. 30-40.
SECOND SET NADAL: Dutra Silva looks like a broken man. A lifeless double fault seals his fate in set two as Rafa breaks to 30. The match is 64 minute's old.
Just as in set one, Dutra Silva won 17 points in the second. Meanwhile, Rafa claimed 27 points - two fewer than in the first. However, the Spaniard's winners count increased. He hit 10 winners and four unforced errors, while his opponent made two winners and eight unforced errors, including three double faults.
Both players remove their sweaty shirts and replace them with fresh ones during the change of ends. Rafa elects to swap like for like, however Dutra Silva has replaced his fluorescent yellow tee-shirt with a simple black one. Will his change of kit bring about a change of fortune? I'm going to guess that it won't, but let's find out...
Rafa holds to 30. To his credit, Dutra Silva is still producing some sweet hitting. However, as was recently the case when the pair stripped off, the Brazilian is simply being out gunned.
NADAL BREAKS: Rafa wears Dutra Silva down and breaks to 40. The Spaniard's fitness levels are unparalleled and his opponent, dripping with sweat, looks spent. He will certainly sleep tonight!
Rafa holds to love.
There is not questioning the fact that Dutra Silva has been outplayed, but, by no means, has the Brazilian embarrassed himself. As I type, he produces a magnificently-disguised drop shot, which sparks respectful applause from Nadal. 15-15.
NADAL BREAKS: Dutra Silva produces one of his best points of the match, but it is not enough, as Rafa, on the defensive, comes up with an instinctive lob that lands just inside the baseline. The Spaniard breaks to 30.
Rafa holds to love. He has won 12 of 14 service points in this set. Dutra Silva must now serve to avoid receiving a third-set bagel, which would be harsh.
GAME SET AND MATCH NADAL: Harsh but true! Rafa breaks to 30 as Dutra Silva goes long. The second seed is through to round three, having dropped just three games en route to beating the world number 134 in one hour and 32 minutes.
Rafa, who has now won 17 straight matches, will face Ivan Dodig next.
Speaking to host broadcaster ESPN, the victorious Nadal says: "I was solid with my serve, which is always important on these courts. I think I played well. I started a bit slow, but played better and better as the match went on."
Nadal hit a mammoth 30 winners during the entire match. He made 15 unforced errors and won 84 of 130 total points.
His opponent finished up with nine winners and 22 unforced errors.
Dutra Silva said before the match that he was going to "enjoy" playing "a real legend" tonight. Well, I'm not sure that the Brazilian ended up having as much fun as he was hoping for. However, I certainly enjoyed watching Rafa at his brilliant best and I hope that you enjoyed following the action with Sports Mole too. Until next time, goodbye.
Written by
Robert Summerscales
Robert Summerscales
