PARIS - Rafael Nadal excels when it was needed most, winning the last two sets against John Isner Tuesday to advance to the second round at the France Open with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (2), 6 - 2, 6-4 victory.
The five-time champion, who improved to 39-1 at Roland Garros, has played a match in five sets at Roland Garros for the first time in seven visits.
Nadal said "tough, tough moments for me". "I played too nervous, in my opinion".
Nadal last lost a set Garros 2009, when it was eliminated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round. He had dropped never previously a set to the first or the second round.
The top-seeded Nadal strives to equal Bjorn Borg of six French titles record open.
Nadal entered the tournament after losing to Novak Djokovic on clay in the final in Rome and Madrid. But the Spanish head is still seen by many as the odds-on favorite at Roland Garros.
Which do not appear to account for Isner, the man known for his role in the longest game of tennis in history of year in the beginning anyway - last at Wimbledon.
Despite the loss of the first series, the American held strong tall and Nadal forced a pair of tie-breaker, where his big service helped put Nadal on the defensive.
"That was when I started so to believe a little bit more," Isner says, "" and began to play with more confidence and strut over there.""
Nadal even was a little worried. A was Toni Nadal, Rafael coach and his uncle, who will later tell that from his perch in the stands he felt "very, very nervous, because losing in the first round is not too good for us."
But his nephew stops itself and zero errors not forced in the fourth game, while Isner in 12.
"I played well in the tiebreak, and I had no chance of the break," Nadal said. "When you play against this kind of players, the pressure is all the time." You have to play very safe time. ?
Nadal broke Isner to a 2-1 advantage in the fourth game and who calls "the turning point."
Coach of the Isner, Craig Boynton, agreed.
"Rafa get up a break early in the fourth really helped his psyche,"Boynton says. ".
His first match tour against John Isner, five-time champion Rafael Nadal played his first match of five sets never Garros and also was the number of tie-breaker, lost in his career at Roland Garros.
Earlier, semé of fourth Brit Andy Murray reached the second round with a 6 - 4, 6 - 1, 6-3, victory of French qualifier Eric Prodon, but the score reflects history.
With a player having won that a single match on the ATP of his career, Murray circuit never appeared comfortable on Court Suzanne Lenglen and lost his cool several times during the match, visibly annoyed by blows of his opponent falling.
"It was a difficult match." No there was no rhythm really for the match, "said Murray. "He didn't have any long rallies, so he touched many drop shots, ranging from the shots." It could change the tempo or change the pace of the ball much. ?
Murray, whose best result at the clay-court Grand Slam is reaching the quarter-finals two years ago, acknowledged that he was unhappy with the way he moved to the Court.
"I hardly earned a point when he had to drop fire today," said Murray. "I was getting to most of them, but not really do much with them.". So I'll do some work on that tomorrow on the practice court. ?
Murray will play Simone Bolelli of Italy, another qualifier and still has time to adapt after receiving an easy draw. If things go as planned for him, it will take its first real test in quarter-final with a potential conflict against seeded to eighth Jurgen Melzer of Austria, who won Tuesday.
Play in a major for the second time, the 124th-ranked Prodon broke Murray in the ninth game with a backhand drop shot but immediately loses its service and all.
Murray then lost only 11 points in the second set and broke Prodon three times in the third.
"I am told in it is very unpredictable," said Murray. "This is how it was." This is why it was a difficult match and just a very frustrating issue of play, because even if I was at the front, all the points were really fragmented. ?
Murray crossed a trail of losing four-match after the Open of Australia, but was a well beaten season, reaching the semi-finals at Monte Carlo and Rome.
It is without coach after take paths separated with Alex Corretja in March. France Open, it is to obtain assistance from Darren Cahill - who used to lead Andre Agassi - and Sven Groeneveld.
"He has had much experience," said Murray. "And he knows that it is normal not to feel your best in the first game, it is difficult conditions and the most important thing is to get by."
The fifth-seeded Soderling advanced with a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5, victory of Ryan Harrison to the United States. Harrison won a place in the main table after Benjamin Becker has retired.
Sam Querrey of Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Germany United States defeated 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the French Open second round for the first time.
Seed 24 Querrey entered this year with a tournament 0-4 record for career at Roland Garros.
Showing best of Querrey in a Grand Slam tournament were the fourth round at Wimbledon and US Open appearances.
No. 16 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, no. 18 Gilles Simon of France, no. 20 Florian Mayer of the Germany, no. 21 Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine and no. 32 Kevin Anderson of South Africa also advanced, but no. 11 Nicolas Almagro in Spain lost.
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