Rafael Nadal was tested in his third-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday afternoon, but he battled past Pedro Cachin 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-4. The 37-year-old Spaniard needed three hours and four minutes to advance.
Nadal was broken four times, but he made up for it by generating 18 break chances against Cachin’s serve–nine of which he converted.
While shaking hands at the net, Cachin called the match “a dream come true” and asked Nadal for either a shirt or towel. Nadal agreed and gave one of his shirts to the 29-year-old Argentine before they left the court.
“Some moments were good, some moments not good, but I found a way to go through,” Nadal reflected. “In the third set, even with some mistakes I was able to be a little more unpredictable and that probably changed the match.
“I am enjoying. Let’s see how I wake up tomorrow. I don’t know. Day by day I am enjoying playing at home; it means everything to me. I am trying my best to keep dreaming. Tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming. To keep playing in front of this amazing crowd and to me that means everything.”
Nadal will go up against Jiri Lehecka on Wednesday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
