ZURICH — Rafael Nadal was pushed to three sets again on Wednesday, dropping his serve four times before overcoming Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the second round of the Basel International.
The 29-year-old Spaniard, who needed a final-set tiebreak to fight past Lukas Rosol in the first round, produced a performance of defiant persistence to fend off the challenge of the 24-year-old Dimitrov.
Third seed Nadal had to battle back from losing his serve in the first game of the match and clinched the set after a string of unforced errors from his opponent.
Dimitrov went 4-0 up in the second before Nadal clawed his way back.