RAFAEL NADAL WINS ANOTHER THREE-SETTER IN THE SWISS OPEN TENNIS AND ROGER FEDERER HOPES TO JOIN HIM IN BASEL QUARTERFINALS BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: on 28th October 2015
Swiss Indoors tennis tournament
RAFAEL NADAL WINS ANOTHER THREE-SETTER IN THE SWISS OPEN TENNIS AND ROGER FEDERER HOPES TO JOIN HIM IN BASEL QUARTERFINALS BY RICKY DIMON

epa05000924 Spain's Rafael Nadal during his second round match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov of the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, 28 October 2015. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS  |

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.”

 

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 going down 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. Karlovic fired 21 aces and completed his comeback victory in one hour and 48 minutes.

Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic in action against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka during their first round match at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, 28 October 2015. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS

 

“In the beginning, it was difficult,” said the 6’11” Croat. “He was hitting his shots. But I just tried to believe, to stay in the match, and hope I could turn it around. In the end, it happened.”

 

With Wawrinka, Marco Chiudinelli, and Henri Laaksonen gone, a familiar faces is the last Swiss standing. Roger Federer hopes to carry the flag into the quarterfinals–and beyond.

 

Federer will take a 57-9 lifetime record in Basel with him into second-round action on Thursday. The six-time champion improved to that mark by making 6-1, 6-2 mincemeat out of Mikhail Kukushkin in Tuesday’s opener. Federer is 54-9 for the season and looking poised to recover in fine fashion from a surprising loss of his Shanghai opening match to Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

 

Up next for the No. 1 seed is Philipp Kohlschreiber in what will be an 11th chapter in one of the more lopsided head-to-head matchups on the ATP Tour. All 10 of the previous encounters between the two veterans have gone Federer’s way, including three on hard courts. Their only indoor tilt came at the 2013 Paris Masters, where the Swiss prevailed 6-3, 6-4.

 

Kohlschreiber earned another shot at his nemesis by holding off Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Tuesday. The 32nd-ranked German is a decent 32-22 for his 2015 campaign and a solid 7-2 since losing to Federer in straight sets at the U.S. Open. This is certainly not the time and place in which Kohlschreiber is going to suddenly turn the tide.

 

Americans in action on Thursday are John Isner, Jack Sock, and Donald Young. Isner and Sock, who played doubles together this week, have to go head-to-head in singles.

 

“D.Y.” Donald Young Jr. is seeking a place in the quarterfinals as he goes up against Kevin Anderson.

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

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