When it was known that Rafael Nadal was opposed to lucky loser and world no.129 Simone Bolelli, everyone was expecting a soft 1st round for the King of Clay.
Eventually, Rafa had to work hard as the match was postponed to the day after when the Spanish legend was leading 6-4 6-3 0-3 with Bolelli coming back pretty strong.
When the game resumed, Rafa started as a champion to win the first 3 games and make it even (3-3). However, Bolelli refused to go away without a fight, and he brought the affair at the breaker. Eventually, it was Rafa to win the set (and the match), but before he had to save 4 set points in the tiebreak when he was down 4-6, 6-7, and 8-9. The final score was 6-4 6-3 7-6 (9).
Next round
Rafa will face the world no. 78 Guido Pella in the 2nd round. The head to head is 1-0 for Rafa.
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