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- Dubai 04:25 05:43 12:19 15:46 18:50 20:09
Rafael Nadal of Spain follows through on a shot during his match against Borna Coric of Croatia the first round of the U.S. Open Tennis tournament in New York. (AP)
Two-time champion Rafael Nadal survived a scare at the hands of Croatian teenager Borna Coric to reach the US Open second round on Monday.
Nadal, who won his second New York title on his last appearance in 2013 before injury forced him to sit out 2014, prevailed 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 against his 18-year-old opponent.
Eighth seed Nadal, the holder of 14 majors, goes on to face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman for a spot in the last 32.
Nadal blamed dehydration on a steamy, humid night in New York for his third set blip.
"I was sweating a lot. I had a little bit of a stomach problem so I didn't feel perfect, physically perfect then," said the Spaniard.
"But then in the fourth I recovered little bit. I played again more aggressive."
Coric, the youngest player in the top 50, had won the junior title in New York in 2013 when Nadal was taking the senior event.
On Monday, the world number 33 showed flashes of the talent which helped him to a shock win over the former world number one in Basel last October.
But Nadal, playing at his lowest seeding since 2004, steadied the ship with a crucial break in the seventh game of the fourth set to lay the foundation for victory.
Williams begins
Williams says she needs to match the fiery inspiration of passion with the calm and focus of discipline to play at her best.
"I definitely feel like sometimes if I'm down I need to have a little fight extra, a little more power and passion," she said. "But also, there's also a calm that I also need to tap into to do the best that I can."
Williams, 33, advanced to a second-round match against Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens.
She would face an American in the third round, either Vandeweghe or Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
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