Nestor and Pospisil advance to quarterfinals
Canada’s Vasek Pospisil and Daniel Nestor have advanced to the quarterfinals of men’s doubles at Rio 2016.
The tennis duo had little trouble in their round of 16 match on Monday, defeating Portugal’s Gastao Elias and Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-4 in a match that took just 54 minutes.
RELATED: Photos – Nestor/Pospisil off to quarters
Canada’s Daniel Nestor returns a ball in men’s doubles action at Rio 2016 on August 8, 2016. (David Jackson/COC)
Pospisil and Nestor teamed up in London 2012 but were eliminated in the round of 16. Nestor is looking to win his second Olympic medal in his sixth Olympic Games, having won gold in doubles at Sydney 2000.
Monday went much smoother for Nestor and Pospisil than their opening match on Sunday. Facing New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus, the Canadians dropped the first set 6-4 before rebounding with a 6-3 victory in the second. In the third set, Daniell and Venus went up 5-4 and 6-5 but could not secure the match win. Nestor and Pospisil then went on to win a hard fought tie break 8-6.
On Monday, Nestor and Pospisil broke Elias and Sousa twice to quickly go up 4-0 in the opening set, going on to take it 6-1. The Canadians broke the Portuguese in the first game of the second set and went on to win 6-4, taking the match in straight sets.
RELATED: Bouchard turns focus to doubles
Canada’s Vasek Pospisil returns a shot in men’s doubles action at Rio 2016 on August 8, 2016. (David Jackson/COC)
Before heading to Rio, the two teamed up to play in Toronto where they reached the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Canadians Eugenie Bouchard and Gaby Dabrowski are still alive in women’s doubles. Their next opponents will be the Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova and and Barbora Strycova, who upset Serena and Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4 in their opening match on Sunday.
