LONDON: Rafael Nadal vindicated his shock 2012 Wimbledon defeat to Lukas Rosol on Thursday with a stiffen and hard-fought 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-4 win over the big-hitting Czech.
Nadal, world's number one, did it the tight way, however, draining the first set and then leading 2-4 in the second before then having to save a set point in the tiebreaker. But the 2008 and 2010 champion, who lost in the first round to Steve Darcis in 2013, cloaked up a place in the third round since 2011.
His potent experience and fantastic handling at the moment of victory, which convulsed Center Court to the depth, spoke volumes as the hurt and embarrassment of two years ago was finally quelled. "I tried to keep fighting and waited for my moment," said Nadal, after dropping the first set for the second time in two matches at this year´s Wimbledon. "I saved a set point in the tiebreaker which was very important because to be two sets down to a big server like Rosol would have been very dangerous."
Seven-time champion Roger Federer cruised into the third round with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 win over Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller and next faces either 30th-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain or Santiago Giraldo of Colombia.
Federer, seeded fourth, completed his match under the Centre Court roof after rain brought an early pause to play on the outside courts. "It was only my second match and a totally different opponent to the first one -- big lefty, coming to the net, keeping the ball short," the Swiss said. "It was really a serving contest out there, I thought, and I´m happy I made it because the second set was tough with the rain delay and I wasn´t having many looks on his serve."
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