Nadal, Serena Williams win Olympic singles debuts

[August 11, 2008]  BEIJING (AP) -- When Rafael Nadal rose after taking a third-set tumble, he left on the concrete a splotch of sweat - proof that his opening match in Beijing was hard work.

The relentless Spaniard made a successful debut in Olympic singles Monday, overcoming numerous missed chances by sweeping the final four games to beat Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Top-seeded Roger Federer had an easier time. He began a bid for his first Olympic medal by beating Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-2, while Venus and Serena Williams also advanced to the second round.

Nadal played doubles but not singles at the Athens Olympics in 2004. He's playing both at Beijing, staying in the athletes' village and hoping to sustain a summer surge that has assured him of the No. 1 ranking next week.

"I am very happy to be here," Nadal said. "Just trying to enjoy 100 percent the experience, and later try my best on court."

No. 7 seed Venus Williams, playing her first match since winning Wimbledon for the fifth time, beat Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-2. Williams, who swept the gold medals in singles and doubles in 2000, showed no sign of the knee injury that sidelined her in recent weeks.

No. 4 Serena Williams won all four games when her match resumed after an overnight rain interruption, beating Olga Govortsova of Belarus, 6-3, 6-1.

Like Nadal, Serena Williams was playing her first singles match at the Olympics. She won a gold medal in doubles in 2000 with sister Venus.

"It's a great thing going out there playing for your country," she said.

Williams said she skipped Beijing's opening ceremonies because she goes to bed early, and she decided against staying in the athletes' village because she likes privacy. Last week she visited the village, where she was a popular subject for those seeking photos and autographs.

"I was bombarded with lots of people," she said. "It was a lot. I can't count. But it was cool, I guess."

In men's play, Nicolas Massu of Chile opened his bid to repeat as Olympic champion by beating Steve Darcis of Belgium 6-4, 7-5. Massu won the gold at Athens in both singles and doubles.

Nadal played the 10:30 a.m. match on center court, and at times it appeared he needed a wakeup call. He struggled on the backhand side, and shook his head or rolled his eyes when usually reliable strokes misfired. Because of Beijing's oppressive humidity, Nadal said, he was changing his shirt every 10 minutes.

A highlight-reel rally got him going in the third set. Nadal sprinted into the alley near the net in pursuit of a ball and scooped a forehand winner cross-court as he braked to avoid running into the post, then fell to his back. He rose and threw a jubilant fist, leaving behind a wet patch on the court.

After failing to convert seven consecutive break-point chances in the second and third sets, he broke for a 4-2 lead in the final set. He erased a 15-40 deficit on his serve in the next game, then broke again for the victory.

"I had a lot of opportunities. I didn't convert, so that was tough," Nadal said. "But I was winning the serves without problems. He had more problems than me when he was serving, so that gave me confidence."

Seeded second, Nadal is on a roll after beating Federer in the finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. The latter result compounded Federer's yearlong slump, and regardless of the outcome at Beijing, he'll be supplanted atop the rankings by Nadal next week.

"It's just a matter of losing some matches where I feel like I shouldn't have lost," Federer said. "And then sometimes it plays a trick in your mind where you think maybe you're not playing that well actually, but it's actually not the case. So it's a matter of keeping yourself in a positive mindset."

Federer has won only two tournaments in 2008, and an Olympic gold medal would help him salvage the year after he was shut out of the medal chase at Sydney in 2000 and at Athens in 2004.

[Associated Press; By STEVEN WINE]

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