Former world number one Rafael Nadal earned his 59th victory at the Mutua Madrid Open, extending his record as the player with the most wins in the tournament, defeating Argentine Pedro Cachin 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, after a three-hour, 4-minute rollercoaster of an encounter on Monday.
Assessing the match, he outlined: βSome moments were good, some moments, not good, but I found a way to go through.β
βIn the third set, even with some mistakes, I was able to be a little more unpredictable, and that probably changed the match.β
βLetβs see how I wake up tomorrow.β
On Tuesday, the king of clay will meet Czech Jiri Lehecka, who took down Brazilian Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 7-6(7) earlier on Monday.
The Spaniard came out strong, breaking to earn the early lead and held to take a 2-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, Cachin fended off two break points before a fired-up Nadal produced a double break to take the fifth game, extending his lead to 5-1 at a packed Manolo Santana Stadium.
The Manacor native found the precision he needed in his shotmaking, damaging his opponent with his unrelenting backhand, and there were no signs of physical issues.
On Saturday, he prevailed over 10th seed Alex de Minaur after a demanding two-hour contest, his first Top 20 win in 18 months.
Overall, the 37-year-old moved faster, often coming forward, adding pressure over his adversary within each point; moreover, he notably improved behind his serve, winning 77 percent of the first serve points.
Then, a spectator felt unwell on the stands with play suspended for a few minutes, resuming soon after.
A lengthy sixth game saw the Argentine saving two break points before hitting a forehand long, dropping serve for the third time.
Nadal sealed a first set he dominated 6-1 in 46 minutes, firing 14 winners and nine unforced errors to 8 and 14 from his adversary.
As the second set wore on, Cachin took control, breaking twice en route to grab a 4-2 lead.
The 29-year-old adjusted his game, taking risks, a strategy that paid off against the 22-time major champion who lost consistency, dropping intensity and striking too short from the baseline.
However, the relentless five-time winner raised his level, breaking straight back in the seventh game.
The former Gstaad champion saw how Nadal came back from 0-2 down to narrow the gap to 4-5.
Then, the unseeded player would serve for the match, but Nadal broke him to level the set.
Cachin saved two break points but committed two double faults, missing two set-point opportunities.
A breathtaking trade of breaks exchanged sent the second set to a tiebreak, which the former World No. 48 took 7-6(5) in 85 minutes, firing a backhand return winner, forcing a decider.
In the final set, Nadal held his nerve, breaking three times on the way to a hard-fought triumph, continuing his comeback run on home soil.
He finished with 36 winners to 32 unforced errors, winning 64 percent of the first serve points.