Rafael Nadal recovered from a set deficit to beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 in round one of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Tuesday. Nadal served at 74 percent and did not face a single break point until the third set as he prevailed in exactly two hours.
“I had chances in the beginning of the match; I couldn’t convert,” Nadal reflected. “I think I changed a little bit at the beginning of the second (set). I’m very happy with the way that I managed to change the dynamic of the match, and I think I finished the match playing well.”
No. 4 seed David Ferrer was not as fortunate in his opening match as the Doha defending champion. The 33-year-old Spaniard got upset 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-2 by Illya Marchenko after two hours and 18 minutes of play. Marchenko could have sealed the deal in quicker fashion, but the Ukrainian threw away a 5-1 lead in the opening-set tiebreaker.
Ferrer-Marchenko highlights:
“He was better than me all the match,” Ferrer lamented. “From the first set, he deserved win the match. I didn’t obviously play my game. I didn’t serve well. (In the) second and third set, he was more aggressive than me.”
Nadal, who becomes an overwhelming favorite in the bottom half of the draw with Ferrer out, will continue his campaign on Wednesday against Robin Haase. World No. 1 and top seed Novak Djokovic is facing Fernando Verdasco after the Spaniard held off Malek Jaziri in a pair of tiebreakers on Tuesday night.
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good enough start
well, not for Ferrer!