Rafael Nadal survived a second consecutive three-setter and recovered from a break down in another must-win set before getting the best of Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in round two of the Swiss Indoors Basel on Wednesday.
Nadal, who saw Lukas Rosol serve for the match on Monday only to prevail in a final-set tiebreaker, trailed Dimitrov 1-0 in the third in this one. But the seventh-ranked Spaniard eventually broke back for 2-2 and seized what proved to be decisive break at 4-3.
“It was a positive match,” Nadal assessed. “I won against a tough player, coming back from a break down in the third. That’s important for my confidence.”
Highlights:
Nadal on-court interview:
Although the draw remains strong from top to bottom, the No. 3 seed may have a potential semifinal roadblock cleared. Second-seeded Stan Wawrinka could not hold onto a set a break lead against Ivo Karlovic, ultimately…
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