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The 30-year-old got off to a quick start, winning nine of the
first 11 games. However, Mannarino rallied back to force the
second set into a tiebreak before Nadal ended the contest on his
second match point.
"I think I played a fantastic first set. Great level of tennis,
serving very good, hitting so good. During the second set, I
slowed the rhythm a little bit and he played very well," Nadal,
a 14-times grand slam champion, told reporters.
"I think I played with the right amount of determination in the
tiebreak. It's very important for my confidence to pass through
these tough moments."
Nadal will face Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals
on Friday.
Dimitrov, who is bidding to reach his third final of the year,
was two points away from defeat against sixth seed Lucas Pouille
but fought back for a gruelling 6(3)-7 7-6(0) 6-4 victory in two
hours and 26 minutes.
"Especially in the second set, when he was serving for the
match. I felt I was playing good tennis," the 25-year-old
Dimitrov told reporters.
"All I could do was stay composed, try to hit every ball that I
could and use every opportunity. They came a bit late, but I'm
pretty happy with it."
All other matches were cancelled due to rain, including third
seed Milos Raonic second round clash against Tunisia's Malek
Jaziri.
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru, editing by
Pritha Sarkar)
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