In a match that was far closer than the scoreline suggested, Rafael Nadal defeated Jiri Vesely to reach the quarter-finals of the Bet-at-Home Open. Both men played some stunning shots but also committed many unforced errors, and it was Vesely playing them at the bigger moments that decided the match.
Nadal takes the opening set
The first set started with three games that dragged out for 24 minutes - each was a break of serve. In the first, Nadal broke Vesely with an error off the forehand wing from the Czech, but he soon fought back and broke Nadal in a game that had multiple deuces, 1-1. Nadal continued the trend of breaking serve with a double fault from Vesely to lead 2-1; this was followed by the first simple hold of the match. Vesely's game was warming up then, and he held to 15 himself for 3-2.
Both players held once more to reach 4-3, and Nadal held again in a game that included a stunning backhand cross court pass down the line - his determination showed through as he threw his fist in the air. Vesely resisted the pressure of being broken for the set and held to force Nadal to serve it out, something he has struggled with throughout his rough 2015 season. To start it looked as though the match would soon be back on level terms as Vesely crept to a 30-40 lead, but the Nadal of old seemed to shine through and with a few great points he took the set in 52 minutes.
Nadal fights through a nervy second set to move on
A long rally kick-started the second set, with Vesely emerging victorious and putting the first set behind him, holding serve. Nadal had a horror game next on his serve by double faulting twice, but prevailed to equal for 1-1. On his second break point in Vesely's next service game, Nadal broke and the match looked to be firmly in his hands; however the underdog was determined to keep it close and immediately broke back by coming into the net and using aggressive tactics, 2-2. After a very long game, Nadal finally gained the lead again on his fourth break point.
He was again in danger when trying to consolidate the break at 30-30, but came into the net and negated the power of a Vesely forehand with a half volley drop shot to set up game point. Nadal's classic one-two punch combination of a serve out wide and a forehand into the open court sealed the game for him to lead 4-2. Vesely held and managed to get back on level terms for 4-4 with a netted backhand slice from Nadal. The world number ten broke again immediately to give himself a chance to serve out the match - however, even after having a match point he could not close it out and instead Vesely broke with a double fault from Nadal.
Both men then held to secure a tiebreak. Nadal immediately imposed himself and gained the advantage of a mini break, 1-0, but Vesely easily intercepted an attempted passing shot from him for 1-1. Vesely's missed shots were the deciding factor of the tiebreak, with them eventually leading to four match points for Nadal. A backhand wide from Vesely saw Nadal victorious in two hours and 11 minutes, 6-4 7-6(2). The stats of the match reflected the oddness of it; Nadal had seven double faults which is far higher than his usual totals, and committed an uncharacteristic 33 unforced errors in just two sets. Vesely had the exact same number of errors but played them at more crucial moments, which was decisive in determining the winner of the match.
Nadal's quarterfinal opponent
Next up for Nadal is Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay. The pair have only met on one previous occasion, at the clay tournament in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year. Cuevas took the first set in that match only to lose in three, the third being 6-0 in Nadal's favour. Since this upcoming quarterfinal is on the same surface, Cuevas will be looking to implement the same game plan he used in the first set of their Rio meeting but for a more sustained period of time; however, with Nadal so much stronger mentally at this stage in the season, it's hard to see any other outcome than a win for the top seed.