Rafael Nadal struggled in his first grass-court match of the season but managed to get the job done during second-round action at the Mercedes Cup on Thursday. Nadal held off Marcos Baghdatis 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-2 in two hours and 40 minutes.

“It was a little bit of a strange match,” the world No. 10 reflected. “I’m happy to be through. It’s an important victory for me. The first match on grass is always very difficult…. At the beginning I didn’t play my best, but I finished the match much better than how I started.”

Highlights:

The quarterfinal showdown fans wanted see would have been Nadal vs. Tommy Haas. They will still get a good one on Friday, but it will be Bernard Tomic facing the top-seeded Spaniard instead of Haas. Tomic ended the 37-year-old German’s comeback tournament with a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory.

Haas seemed to have the first set wrapped…