Rafael Nadal wins tense battle with Lukas Rosol in Basel
Thursday 29 October 2015 17:16, UK
Rafael Nadal battled back from the brink to defeat Lukas Rosol in the first round of the ATP Swiss Indoors in Basel.
The Spaniard was two points away from a demoralising early defeat, but broke back to force the match into a deciding set and eventually overcame his Czech opponent in a tense 1-6 7-5 7-6 victory.
Nadal nearly paid the price for another erratic performance and was forced to grind out the win after being broken four times.
In their first ever meeting, Rosol had pulled off a memorable upset win at Wimbledon in 2012, and Nadal appeared to be heading for another shock setback when he quickly handed over the first set with a string of errors.
Nadal was broken again in the second set and his plight grew increasingly desperate as Rosol, ranked No 92 in the world, moved 30-0 up while serving for the match.
But the 14-time Grand Slam winner took advantage of the first signs of nerves from Rosol, claiming two breaks to level the match.
There would be further drama in the decider, with Rosol immediately breaking back to drag Nadal into a tie-break where the Spanish player again trailed 4-2.
But Nadal bravely went on the attack and wrestled back a succession of points before Rosol's overhit backhand gave him a place in the next stage.
