Nadal eases into Italian Open’s 16th after Almagro’s sudden injury

CAIRO – 17 May 2017:Tennis legend Rafael Nadal easily qualified into last-16 of the Italian Open on Tuesday after his opponent Nicolas abruptly suffered a knee injury during an action, setting a record of winning consecutive game.

Back to being the best player on tour over the last month, Nadal advanced from his opening match at the Italian Open on Wednesday when the 73rd-ranked Nicolas Almagro retired in the first set with an apparent injury.

Roma’s current fourth-ranked Nadal eyes an eighth title at the Foro Italico as he prepares for the French Open scheduled for late May and is set to clash with 13th-seeded Jack Sock.

"It's difficult to see what's going on now just after what happened," Nadal said. "He felt something on the knee."

In women’s action, Angelique Kerber lost an opener at the Foro Italico to Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit 6-4, 6-0.

Kerber joined Andy Murray, the top-ranked men's player after Murray's loss to Fabio Fognini on Tuesday.

"Everybody knows I'm not a clay-court specialist," Kerber said. "I was not playing good last year as well. I had a great year, but I mean, these few weeks I was not playing good. And this year it's the same."

Olympic silver medalist Juan Martin del Potro defeated British Kyle Edmund 7-5, 6-4, while fifth-ranked Milos Raonic eliminated Germany veteran Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3.

The sixteenth-seeded Alexander Zverev managed to beat Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4.

"The stadium will be very loud for him. I'm very sure about that," Zverev said of Fognini. "It's going to be a fun day, a fun atmosphere and great match."