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By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 5, 2016

 
Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal rallied for a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 victory over Pablo Carreno Busta in his Doha opener.

Photo credit: AP Photo

Rafael Nadal combined quality shot-making and clean ball-striking to score his first win of the 2016 season.

In an all-Spanish opener, Nadal dropped serve just once in a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 victory over Pablo Carreño Busta to advance to the Qatar Open second round.

More: Nadal's Return Plan

World No. 94 Illya Marchenko, who had never won a set against a Top 10 opponent, stunned defending champion David Ferrer, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-2.




Ferrer, who switched from a Prince to Babolat racket, dumped nine double faults in the loss. Ferrer started 2015 winning 19 of his first 20 matches.

Nadal will play Robin Haase, a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 victor over qualifier Aslan Karatsev, for a place in the Doha quarterfinals.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion is playing for his first hard-court title since defeating Gael Monfils in the Doha final two years ago.

Looking fit and swinging more freely as the match progressed, Nadal hit 30 winners against 25 unforced errors and broke serve five times beating the younger Spaniard for the second time in as many meetings.  

"Good to start off the season (with a win)," Nadal said afterward. "Pablo played so good. At the beginning I felt I had opportunities  I did not convert. In the second and third sets I felt I played more aggressive with less mistakes."

The second-seeded Spaniard struck with confidence and hit with depth for much of the opening set. He spun ace aces to end two of his first four service games and was not pushed to deuce on serve.

Carreno Busta stayed in step throughout a high-quality set. A pair of fine stab volleys followed by a slashing inside-out forehand helped him hold at 15 for 4-all.

Fast reactions aided Nadal, who adjusted to a net-cord pass knifing a backhand volley winner to open the 12th game, but Carreno Busta held firm to force the tie break.

The 67th-ranked Spaniard lifted his level even higher in the breaker. From 0-2 down, Carreno Busta used his crackling two-hander to blast open the breaker. He won six straight points, smacking a backhand return winner down the line for 6-2. Nadal, who was hitting with diminished depth in the tie break, hung tough saving three set points.

On his fourth set point, Carreno Busta hammered an inside-out forehand to draw the short ball, slamming a forehand down the middle to snatch a 52-minute set in which both men hit 16 winners and 10 unforced errors.

Carreno Busta saved two break points to start the second set, but Nadal pressured him again in the third game. A crunching backhand crosscourt gave Nadal the first break of the night and a 2-1 second-set lead.

The underdog didn't sustain his lofty level in the second set.

Hitting angled returns to stretch his younger opponent, Nadal won 45 percent of Carreno Busta's first-serve points and 60 percent of his second-serve points. Looking slower running down wide balls as the set progressed, Carreno Busta sprayed a forehand wide as Nadal broke a second time to force a third set.




Clanking a double fault to open his service game, a skittish Carreno Busta sailed a forehand to drop serve at love. Nadal's second straight break gave him a 2-0 lead, but he gave the break right back wacking a backhand wide to drop serve for the first time.

A vicious forehand down the line opened the court, Nadal stepped in and cracked a crosscourt forehand breaking again for 3-1. Nadal saved a break point in the next game then never looked back winning four straight games to close a two-hour conquest.

"He's one of the big hopes of our country," Nadal said of Carreno Busta. "At the same time, he's a good friend of mine, a great person and that's the most important thing. I am sure a player like this will have a great (season).

"I am trying my best in every single tournament I play."

No. 3 seeded Tomas Berdych beat Sergiy Stakhovsky, 7-5, 6-4. Ricardas Berankis broke serve seven times upsetting sixth-seeded Andreas Seppi, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

 

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