Rafael Nadal survives scare to win his opening match in Indian Wells

Rafael Nadal lets out a roar after his battling win against Radek Stepanek in Indian Wells.

An inspired Radek Stepanek pushed Rafael Nadal all the way in the World No. 1′s opening match at Indian Wells. Nadal survived the scare to reach the third round, winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The match was tight and intense, and didn’t seem like a second round match, as both players battled it out in the Californian desert locale.

Stepanek started making Nadal run right from the start, hitting a well-disguised drop shot, but he was made to rue the shot almost immediately as Nadal reached it and hit a superb passing volley. But the Czech then served an ace to win the opening game.

Nadal started strong himself, winning the opening point of his first service game, but Stepanek was firing on all cylinders. A crosscourt forehand was out of Naddal’s reach which gave Stepanek two break points. He converted the first as Nadal approached the net but Stepanek hit the ball right back at the Spaniard who couldn’t keep the return volley in the court.

Stepanek was in the ascendancy and served strong. Nadal was in danger of going down 3-0 but he produced two brilliant forehands down the line in succession to reach his first break point. Stepanek saved it with an overhead volley, but there was more drama as Stepanek then got a time violation and surrendered the next point to Nadal to give him a second break point.

Stepanek saved that too, with a strong serve, and got to advantage. The Czech was matching Nadal step for step and his movement defied his age, as he produced a brilliant drop shot at the net and retrieved Nadal’s return to go up 3-0.

It is not often that we get to see Nadal playing at his best and still trailing 3-0. That was how impressive Stepanek’s play was.

Nadal got down to business in the fourth game and held comfortably with a love hold. In the next game, he perfectly anticipated Stepanek’s serve and volley and countered effectively. A few unforced errors gave Nadal two break points. Stepanek saved one and Nadal mis-hit the next into the net to take the game to deuce. The Czech got to advantage with an ace and won the point with a controlled rally, forcing Nadal to play with his backhand and closing the point at the net.

Nadal held to love again comfortably, with a strong service game. The World No. 1 then went on the offensive in the next game but Stepanek retrieved everything Nadal threw at him and then some, as he made no mistakes in the rallies and turned the point in his favour by going from from defence to offence.

In command at 4-2, 30-0, Stepanek faltered. He hit a forehand long and then followed it with a poor volley. But he quelled any hints of a momentum shift by using his effective serve-and-volley technique to take an ominous 5-2 lead.

A horrible service game followed for Nadal. He opened with a double fault, followed by a netted forehand and then served another double fault to give Stepanek three set points. Nadal saved two and looked like he would save all three as he came to the net, but Stepanek hit a strong pass and Nadal could do little as his volley went long.

Nadal won only 1 of his 6 points at the net compared to 9/12 for Stepanek, which was decisive for him in the first set.

Stepanek started proceedings in the second set aggressively, continuing where he left off in the first. There was no let up in his serves, and his charges to the net paid their dividends.

Nadal on his part was slightly erratic with his serve, but did well to hold on to it. He was still returning too short though, which made it easy for Stepanek to step into the court and hit expansive forehands.

The Czech continued to dominate as he repeatedly whipped forehands down the line on Nadal’s serve, and he was one point away from a break point. But Nadal manoeuvred well to counter Stepanek’s relentless returns as he held on for 2-2.

It was interesting to see that Stepanek seemed to have ample time to return the ball as he moved Nadal around the court and punished him the moment he found an opening.

At 40-30, Nadal produced a ‘Vamos!’ moment. Stepanek bounded in again to volley but the Spaniard passed him brilliantly, following that up with a roar and a fist pump. Nadal reached break point after a Stepanek error and then won it by pushing the Czech deep and forcing the error out of him. It was the first break of the match for Nadal, and as it turned out, was the turning point of the contest.