Rafael Nadal beat John Isner at the Rome Masters
Tuesday 19 May 2015 14:00, UK
Rafael Nadal won his Rome Masters third-round tie 6-4 6-4 after overcoming the problems posed by John Isner's huge serve.
The Spanish great remains on course for an eighth championship in the Italian tournament at yet another clay court competition that he has historically dominated.
But after critically breaking his American opponent once in each set, Nadal was able to progress past the notoriously big-serving Isner in an hour and 19 minutes hours.
Nadal was never unduly troubled by Isner's service games due to his ability to absorb the power and command returns on his favourite surface.
After the first four games were shared, Nadal created daylight by breaking at the third attempt in the opening set which never looked in doubt after that moment.
Isner's seven aces and dangerous serving kept him competitive until Nadal moved 5-4 ahead in the second set with a stunning forehand return directly from the high-bouncing serve.
The Spaniard hit just three unforced errors en route to a sixth consecutive win over Isner.
Seven-time champion Nadal will now face Stan Wawrinka, who beat Dominic Thiem 7-6 (6-3) 6-4 to record consecutive victories for the first time since February.
Federer struggle
Roger Federer struggled only to close out a 6-3 7-5 win over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson.
Anderson served 14 aces to Federer's four, and matched the 17-time Grand Slam champion with 22 winners, but never really put Federer under pressure.
Novak Djokovic had to fight back from a set down to beat Thomaz Bellucci and reach the quarter-finals.
World No 1 Djokovic won 5-7 6-2 6-3 but was made to work hard after his Brazilian opponent, ranked 68th, played a flawless opening set with his left-handed serve and powerful forehand repeatedly troubled the holder.
"He (Bellucci) kept me off balance with the variety on his serve," Djokovic said. "I couldn't quite find the right position where to stand on the return."
He next meets Japan's fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori, who beat Djokovic's compatriot Victor Troicki 6-4 6-3.
On the fence
While Nadal now meets Wawrinka for a place in the quarter-finals, he admits - at least publicly - he will be sitting on the fence when Real's arch-rivals Barcelona take on Juventus in the June 6 final of Europe's premier club competition at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
"I've lost a lot of times, and Real Madrid lost yesterday. That's just part and parcel of sport," said the Spaniard.
"I have a good friend at Juventus in Fernando Llorente - I will be happy for him - and also Alvaro Morata.
"At the end of the day, if Barcelona win I will be happy for them, but if Juventus win I will also be happy because I have friends there as well."
In the meantime, Nadal said he was happy with his game but said he was not "consistent enough" to be considered the main favourite for Roland Garros next month, when he will bid for a record 10th title in Paris.
"I'm more than happy, I think I played a fantastic match against very, very tough opponent," said Nadal.
"Today I did (moved better) and it seems like now I'm having more good days than bad days. The past few months have been on and off."
Nadal has won the French Open at Roland Garros nine times but said his form on the red dirt so far this season means he won't be the bookies' favourite.
He added: "This year for sure I haven't been consistent enough to be considered the main favourite for Roland Garros.
"Let's see how I finish this week and then we can start to think about Roland Garros."
Live ATP Masters Tennis
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