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By Chris Oddo | Thursday May 12, 2016

Rafael Nadal’s winning ways continued at the Foro Italico on Thursday as the seven-time Internazionali BNL d’Italia champion battled past an impressive Nick Kyrgios, 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4.

More: Serena Williams to Face Kuznetsova Again in Rome

Kyrgios hammered 37 aces past Nadal in 2014 in an epic upset when the pair met for the first time at Wimbledon, but on this day the Aussie would have to grind to earn points against the rejuvenated Spaniard, who is a winner of 19 of his last 22 on clay. Despite the lack of free points on serve, Kyrgios showed that his development is on track as he hung with Nadal closely over the course of their spirited two hour and 40-minute affair, trading blows with the great king of clay right to the finish.

"It makes me feel confident," said Kyrgios after the match. "Obviously he's the greatest of all time on this surface. For me, just when I was a bit younger, two years ago, we were always talking about playing Rafa on clay, and I always thought I'd get absolutely destroyed against him. Then to play him and compete out there, deep in the third, [a] three-hour match, it feels pretty good."

Kyrgios took the upper hand by winning an entertaining opening stanza in a tiebreaker. After the pair traded breaks in the first two games, there was very little between the two combatants until Nadal took his hands off the wheel and dropped two consecutive points on serve to give Kyrgios triple set point in the breaker.

It was all Kyrgios needed, as he coolly deposited a forehand winner into the open court to take the set.

Nadal, undeterred, would up the intensity immediately in set two. He won the first ten points of the set and forced Kyrgios to scramble to avoid going double break down. Kyrgios did hold to stay in touch in the third game, but the world No. 20 would not avoid it in the fifth game as he dropped serve to fall behind 4-1 and promptly sought the attention of the trainer for some work on his right hip.

Nadal saved three break points while serving for the set two games later at 5-2, eventually nailing a forehand winner to clinch.

The forehand proved lethal again for Nadal as he cracked a winner to move ahead 2-1 in set three, and while Kyrgios had the moxie to wiggle out of a triple break point down scenario in the fifth game, the Aussie could not draw closer. Nadal served out the match with aplomb, closing with an inside-out forehand winner, his 24th winner of the day, to finish off the satisfying victory.


Kyrgios finished with 38 winners against 40 unforced errors on the day, while Nadal’s 24 winners were matched by his 24 unforced errors.

The players were close in most other statistical categories, but Nadal managed a significant edge in points that lasted nine strokes or more, winning 21 of 32 of such points.

Nadal moves on to face either Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Djokovic has won six straight against Nadal and now owns the upper hand in the rivalry, 25-23.

 

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