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Nadal survives Rome scare as Djokovic extends winning run

"King of Clay" Rafael Nadal saw his 37-match unbeaten run on the surface ended by Novak Djokovic in Madrid.
"King of Clay" Rafael Nadal saw his 37-match unbeaten run on the surface ended by Novak Djokovic in Madrid.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Defending champion Rafael Nadal battles back to win his opening match at Rome Masters
  • Spaniard's conqueror last weekend, Novak Djokovic, continues his unbeaten run
  • Third seed Roger Federer also progresses into third round after an opening bye
  • Ana Ivanovic among four seeded players to crash out of women's event in Rome

(CNN) -- World No. 1 Rafael Nadal was a relieved man after avoiding a shock second successive defeat on his favored surface, while rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer had no such problems at the Rome Masters on Wednesday.

Second-ranked Djokovic ended Nadal's 37-match winning run on clay when he triumphed in the final in Madrid on Sunday, and the Serbian strolled to a 6-0 6-3 victory over Poland's Lukasz Kubot in his opening match in the Italian capital.

Nadal also had an opening bye, but the Spaniard was in trouble in his second-round clash against world No. 83 Paolo Lorenzi after losing the first set in a tiebreak then trailing 30-0 at 4-4 in the second.

The 24-year-old, seeking his third successive Rome crown and sixth in seven years, battled back to triumph 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-0 in two hours 37 minutes against the Italian qualifier.

I played very badly ... I felt slow and I felt I was hitting the ball short all the time
--Rafael Nadal
RELATED TOPICS
  • Rafael Nadal
  • Novak Djokovic
  • Roger Federer
  • Li Na
  • Tennis

"I played very badly. At the beginning it was not bad but I had a break and then I started to be more anxious," Nadal told the tournament's website.

"I felt slow and I felt I was hitting the ball short all the time but still, I finished the match better. The last game I played well.

"I have to be confident with myself and tomorrow I have to play more aggressive. I have to move faster, I have to play more inside the court and to play to my advantage. If I am able to do this then it will change a lot."

Nadal will play compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the third round, while Djokovic faces Swiss 14th seed Stanislas Wawrinka after extending his unbeaten run this year to 33 matches.

It is the best start to a season since John McEnroe went 42-0 in 1984.

Djokovic sweeps aside Nadal on Madrid clay

Djokovic beat Wawrinka in the 2008 final, being taken to three sets in his first of two final appearances so far in the Eternal City before losing to Nadal in 2009.

"He has been around for many years and is a great all-round player," Djokovic told the ATP Tour website. "He likes this court and these conditions -- it is going to be a tough match."

Third seed Federer began his bid for a first Rome title with a confident 6-4 6-2 victory over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The 16-time grand slam champion, a losing finalist here in 2003 and 2006, will play French 16th seed Richard Gasquet in the third round.

Spanish ninth seed Nicolas Almagro also progressed with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over American Sam Querrey, while top-ranked U.S. player Mardy Fish beat Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7-2) 5-7 6-2.

Fish, seeded 11th, will next play Croatia's Marin Cilic, while Almagro will take on Swedish fifth seed Robin Soderling.

Austrian eighth seed Jurgen Melzer retired after losing the first set 6-4 against Germany's Florian Mayer, who was handed a clash with Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela.

In the women's tournament in Rome, seeded players Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, Ana Ivanovic and Andrea Petkovic all crashed out.

Polish eighth seed Radwanska lost 3-6 6-2 6-1 to Russia's Elena Vesnina, who will play Hungary's Greta Arn in the third round.

French No. 9 Bartoli was beaten 6-4 6-3 by Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues, who earned a clash with Serbian fifth seed Jelena Jankovic.

Jankovic, last year's runner-up and winner in 2007 and 2008, avenged her second-round defeat by Lucie Safarova in Madrid by beating the Czech 6-0 6-3.

Ivanovic failed to join her compatriot and fellow former world No. 1 in the next round, with the 13th seed losing 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to Yanina Wickmayer.

The Belgian will play current top-ranked player Caroline Wozniacki, who opened her campaign with a 6-2 6-0 romp against unseeded Australian Anastasia Rodionova.

Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog notched her first win over a top-20 player when she beat 12th seed Petkovic 6-4 6-2, and the 20-year-old will take on Australian sixth seed Samantha Stosur in the last 16.

Chinese fourth seed Li Na avoided an upset defeat as she cruised past Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-4 6-2 to set up a clash with Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova -- a 6-2 6-4 victor over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.