Rafael Nadal defeated David Nalbandian 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 7-5 in the U.S. Open on Sunday to advance to the last 16.
U.S. Open 2011: Rafael Nadal Defeats David Nalbandian, Advances To Quarter-Finals
His next opponent will be Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.
Nadal was behind Nalbandian 3-5 in the first set, but he came back to win it and had less trouble after that – although Nalbandian battled back from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to make it 5-5 before Nadal finally went up 6-5 and then won 7-5 on Nalbandian’s double fault.
“It was a tough day. David is a fantastic player and a close friend who has had a tough time with injuries,” said Nadal.
“The first set was key when I came back when he was serving for the set. I am happy because I played my best match of the tournament so far.”
Nalbandian’s career has been stuck in neutral due to injuries to his hip and groin.
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