Nadal tested on manic Monday
2008-08-11 09:27
Beijing - Rafael Nadal saw off the Olympics jinx in an unexpectedly close encounter with Italy's Potito Starace on Monday as a bumper schedule got under way at the rain-hit tennis tournament.
The incoming world number one was taken to a deciding third set by the 71st-ranked Italian before averting a major upset 6-2 3-6 6-2.
Nadal, the French Open and Wimbledon champion, broke Starace twice in the first set but was made to sweat when Starace hit back for 2-0 in the second with a running forehand pass.
The over-eager Spaniard squandered five break points with Starace surviving three deuces at 4-2 before seeing it out 6-3 -- his first set against Nadal in five meetings.
But the 27-year-old's inspired form deserted him in the decider as he netted at 2-3 for the initial break and again on Nadal's first match point.
The Olympics has traditionally been a champions' graveyard for the men with no top-five gold-medallist in modern times and a list of winners including Marc Rosset and Nicolas Massu.
Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Venus Williams and Novak Djokovic will follow Nadal in quick succession on Centre Court as organisers scramble to make up for time lost on Sunday.
Just nine matches were completed on the opening day as thunderstorms lashed the Olympic Green Tennis Centre. Some 65 were scheduled for Monday, with showers forecast in the afternoon and evening.
Nadal, Federer, Andy Murray and Massu were among those playing both singles and doubles on the same day. Sam Querrey and Igor Andreev play later - and will stay on court to face each other in the doubles immediately afterwards.
Meanwhile Massu, ranked 125, stayed in the hunt for his second shock singles gold with a 6-4 7-5 win over Steve Darcis of Belgium while Argentina's David Nalbandian saw off Zeng Shaoxuan of China 6-2 6-1.
Federer, who yields the number one ranking to Nadal on August 18 after 235 weeks at the top, has a testing opener against sometime practice partner Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.
The Swiss will team up with Stanislas Wawrinka against Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi in the evening session as he goes in search of his first Olympic medal.
The tournament has also been rocked by a series of withdrawals with women's top seed Ana Ivanovic joining the injury list late on Sunday with a painful right thumb.
Fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic, who was confirmed as world number one on Monday, is also an injury doubt.
Russian star Maria Sharapova, Amelie Mauresmo and Tatiana Golovin had already pulled out while 1996 champion Lindsay Davenport has ditched the singles with a nagging knee problem.
Croatia's chances have been hit by the withdrawals of Ivan Ljubicic, Ivo Karlovic and Mario Ancic, while ninth-ranked Andy Roddick and France's Richard Gasquet opted out of the long trip to China.