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Returning Nadal cops early Cincinnati loss

Staff WritersAP
Rafael Nadal was beaten in three sets by Borna Coric in his return from injury. (AP PHOTO)
Camera IconRafael Nadal was beaten in three sets by Borna Coric in his return from injury. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AP

Rafael Nadal has suffered a big blow to his US Open preparation, beaten in his first match since pulling out of his Wimbledon semi-finals against Nick Kyrgios due to injury.

The 22-times grand slam champion went down 7-6(11- 9) 4-6 6-3 to Croatia's Borna Coric at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday.

Nadal, had been hoping to get as many matches under his belt as possible after returning from an abdominal injury and remains well short of competitive action before beginning his bid for a fifth US Open title and first since 2019 later this month.

Coric, who returned to the tour in March after a lengthy absence due to shoulder surgery, edged a nail-biting tiebreaker to take the opener after each player had saved two set points.

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With the crowd firmly behind Nadal, the 36-year-old Spaniard roared back by breaking former world No.12 Coric's serve midway through the second set to force a decider.

But Coric, now ranked 152nd, got his only break of the left-hander's serve for a 4-2 lead and sealed his spot in the third round on his first match point.

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"I need to improve," said Nadal. "I need to practise. I need to return better. I need days, and that's the truth. It's obvious that I was not ready enough to win the match today.

"(It) has been a difficult injury to manage. The last month and a half haven't been easy.

"I need to move forward and just start to think about the energy that the crowd gives me in New York. I know it's a very special place for me... unforgettable moments there, and I'm going to try my very best every single day to be ready for that.""

Coric will next play another Spaniard in Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated home hope Marcos Giron 6-3 6-3.

In-form American Taylor Fritz blasted his way to a 6-3 6-2 win over Australian Nick Kyrgios while Cameron Norrie fought back to beat former world No.1 Andy Murray 3-6 6-3 6-4 in an all-British clash.

The 11th-seeded Fritz needed just 51 minutes to hand Kyrgios his second defeat since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

The upset of the day went to American wild card Ben Shelton after the 19-year-old continued his dream ATP Masters debut with a 6-3 6-3 win over world No.5 Casper Ruud.

A day after taking down Lorenzo Sonego, the 229th-ranked Shelton needed just 68 minutes to beat Ruud and advance to a third-round match against fellow left-hander Norrie.

Fritz will next meet sixth seed Andrey Rublev after the Russian scored a 6-7(7) 7-6(3) 6-2 win over Italy's Fabio Fognini.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas sailed into the third round with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Serbian Filip Krajinovic while Pole Hubert Hurkacz, runner-up in Montreal on Sunday, lost to his doubles partner this week, American John Isner, 7-6(7-5) 6-7(7-5) 6-2.

It was a good day for Canada with both seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov picking up victories.

Auger-Aliassime cruised past Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-2 while Shapovalov rallied for 3-6 6-4 6-3 win over American Tommy Paul to register back-to-back victories for the first time since May.

Shapovalov will take on world No.1 Daniil Medvedev next while Auger-Aliassime meets Italian Jannik Sinner.

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