Qatar Open: Rafael Nadal survives scare in Doha

07 January,2016 07:32 AM IST |   |  AFP

Former World No 1 Rafael Nadal survived a first-round scare in the Qatar Open on Tuesday, winning in three sets against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta

Rafael Nadal


Doha: Former World No 1 Rafael Nadal survived a first-round scare in the Qatar Open on Tuesday, winning in three sets against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.


Rafael Nadal

Nadal lost the first set in a tie-break and looked set to follow defending champion David Ferrer out of the tournament, who lost earlier in the day to Ukraine's Ilya Marchenko, ranked No 94 in the world. But the 14-times Grand Slam winner rallied after a difficult start to take the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.

"In the second and third sets, I played well, little mistakes and I was very positive," said Nadal. He added: "I think I changed a little bit at the beginning of the second (set). I played with a little bit higher intensity and being a little bit more aggressive, going a little bit more for the shots."

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
Related Stories