Madrid, Aug 17, 2011 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Spain's Rafael Nadal scored his first victory of the North American summer hard-court season on Wednesday, defeating Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-4, 7-5 at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nadal, who suffered a shocking defeat in his first match at last week's Rogers Cup in Montreal at the hands of Croatia's Ivan Dodig, showed some signs of his usual level during the one hour 33 minute contest but still committed more errors than usual from the baseline and once again had difficulty closing out the match.
In the end, however, the world No. 2 was able to make the right decisions at key moments to move into the third round of this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, the seventh of nine throughout the season.
In the first set, the players stayed on serve until 3-3 when Nadal seized the advantage with some strong baseline play and then served out the set a few games later.
Nadal seemed to take full control by going up an early break in the second set, but the problems that plagued him against Dodig in Montreal - where he twice squandered a service break in the final set - resurfaced at the latter stages.
Serving at 5-4, the Spaniard found himself down 0-40 and dropped serve two points later. Unlike in Montreal, however, Nadal was able to respond quickly, breaking back in the very next game and then serving out the match in his second opportunity.
"The moments that I spend one week ago in Montreal when I lost the match, serving for the match, always the confidence goes down a little bit after one match like that," Nadal said in the post-match press conference.
"So that probably affected me a little bit today with 5-4 and the serve. For the rest I am happy. I have to keep going, and that's what I will try."
"I did a lot of things well, but not in every point. I played three points well; after I played two points bad. So I am in the right way, but I need to keep having matches. For sure that's important for me now," the 25-year-old said, alluding to his bid to defend his title at the upcoming U.S. Open.
Next up Thursday for Nadal will be countryman Fernando Verdasco, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over France's Michael Llodra.
In other second-round action Wednesday involving Spanish players, world No. 6 David Ferrer rallied from a set down to defeat Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, world No. 11 Nicolas Almagro edged big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2) and Feliciano Lopez lost to Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 6-4.
Meanwhile, the last remaining member of the Latin American contingent, Argentina's David Nalbandian, fell in straight sets to world No. 4 Andy Murray of Britain 6-4, 6-1.
In another second-round match played Tuesday night, Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro was defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Swiss great Roger Federer.
Del Potro had won two previous big matches against Federer - in the 2009 U.S. Open final and at the ATP World Tour Finals that same year - but had no answer for the powerful and accurate serving of the world No. 3 in Cincinnati.
The Argentine, who missed most of last season after undergoing wrist surgery, has climbed back into the top 20 this year but has struggled against the top players.
The Western and Southern Open is one of the biggest events of the North American summer hard-court season and a key tune-up event for the U.S. Open, which gets underway Aug. 29 in New York. EFE
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