Spaniard rallies from one set down to beat Isner and enter quarter-finals. PHOTO: AFP
Nadal, bidding for a ninth title on the clay of the Country Club, was tested by a dozen aces from Isner, a huge hitter not noted for his finesse on the dirt.
But the American 15th seed put up a massive effort to stay level almost throughout against Spain’s king of clay, who is still searching for consistency and confidence in this tepid season.
Nadal won the title every year from 2005 to 2012 and has lost just three times in 55 matches at the tournament.
Earlier, Roger Federer joined holder Stan Wawrinka as an upset victim as the 2014 finalist lost 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to France’s Gael Monfils.
Before that, Grigor Dimitrov had stunned seventh seed Wawrinka 6-1, 6-2 in the third round.
The exit of 2014 Australian Open champion Wawrinka came a year after he won his first and only Masters 1000 title here.
Wawrinka was well off his game, out in 54 minutes with 41 unforced errors and just four winners against ninth seed Dimitrov. And he is now in danger of losing his top-10 ranking place.
World number two Federer missed the chance to reach the last eight in the principality, weighed down by 38 unforced errors against Monfils.
After losing a break for 3-1 in the opening set and standing 5-3 in the second-set tiebreak, 17-time Grand Slam winner Federer could not make much progress against the flashy French opponent who beat him in a Davis Cup rubber last November. “I was really hoping to do better because I felt there was an opportunity,” said Federer. “Unfortunately, Gaël played well today. It was always going to be a tough match.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2015.
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