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If modesty were a weapon, then Rafael Nadal of Spain would be an even greater threat. Considered one of the Tour's teenagers destined for greatness, Nadal, 17, breezed past his countryman Fernando Vicente, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in the first round yesterday.
"I don't think I'm ready to win," Nadal said.
His rapid improvement indicates otherwise. Nadal advanced to the third round at Wimbledon in July and has climbed to No. 45 in the world. Last year he became the second 16-year-old player to break into the top 100; Michael Chang did it in 1988. Nadal won a tour match for the first time at 15.
Nadal plays a left-handed game of snappy ground strokes and sweeping angles, much like his right-handed mentor, Carlos Moya. Nadal practiced with Moya in their native Majorca as a rising junior and beat him at a tournament earlier this year in Hamburg, Germany.
Yesterday morning on Court 7, Nadal frustrated Vicente with his coverage of the court and his composure. Nadal salvaged all three break points against him. On match point, Vicente's frustration became visible. He hooked a forehand wide and then whacked a spare ball out of the court as if he were hitting a fungo.
In the second round, Nadal will face 22nd-seeded Younes el-Aynaoui, whom he beat in their only previous meeting. Aynaoui, a Moroccan, defeated Alex Kim, 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-3, to advance
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