Tennis: Nadal not discouraged by losing on return, says will be ready for US Open

CINCINNATI (REUTERS) - Rafael Nadal lost 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3 to Borna Coric at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday (Aug 17) in the Spaniard's first match since pulling out of the Wimbledon semi-finals due to injury, dealing a big blow to his preparations for the US Open.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner had been hoping to get as many matches under his belt as possible after returning from an abdominal injury but losing to the Croat means he heads to Flushing Meadows well short of competitive action.

“Obviously I didn’t play my best match, something that can happen,” Nadal told reporters.

“So coming back from a tough period of time, something that’s easy to accept and easy to say congrats to Borna that he played better.

“I need to improve. 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.”

After an hour-long rain delay, Coric, who returned to the ATP Tour in March after a lengthy absence following shoulder surgery, edged a nail-biting tiebreaker to take the opener after each player had saved two set points.

With the crowd firmly behind Nadal, the 36-year-old roared back into the contest 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 then sealed his spot in the third round with an inside-out forehand winner on his first match point after 2hr 51min.

"It has been very, very special," Coric said after his victory over world No. 3 Nadal, who won the Australian and French Open titles despite an injury-plagued season.

"I was honestly just looking forward to playing this match as I haven't had that in the last two years. Now that I won, it's kind of crazy."

Meanwhile, Nadal will undergo tests to confirm everything is fine with the injury, which he said still created doubt in his mind during his service motion.

“I am positive,” he said. “In terms of practice, I need to start to be in a Grand Slam mode, practising the way that I need to practise to be competitive since the beginning there, and I hope I will be able to make that happen.

“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, and I enjoy it, unforgettable moments there, and I’m going to try my very best every single day to be ready for that.”

Nadal's defeat ended his hopes of overtaking Daniil Medvedev for the world No. 1 ranking.

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

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 Cameron Norrie, who fought back to beat former world No. 1 Andy Murray 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an all-British clash.