11/08/2008
Nalbandian Comfortably Began his Olympic Illusion
David Nalbandian, the man from Cordoba, debuted with full authority in the Olympic Games in Beijing, defeating Shaoxuan Zeng, China, 6-2 and 6-1. This way he started off on the right foot his illusion of winning a medal for the Argentines. It only took Nalbandian 63 minutes to beat his rival (601st in the world), showing his dominance and setting the level of the game in the Olympic Center for tennis. His next opponent will be the Chilean tennis player Nicolas Massu (102nd) who is defending the gold medal he won four years ago in Athens. Nalbandian has overtaken him by 2 to 1, with victories in 2003 (Acapulco, clay) and in 2004 (Basel, carpet). The only defeat he suffered was in 2002 when David had just recently begun his career. If he beats the Chilean, he will face the winner of the duel between the Frenchman Gael Monfils and the Romanian Victor Hanescu.