(Photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports)
Rafael Nadal held on to reach his first ATP Tour semifinal round in two years by defeating Mariano Navone 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-5 in a grueling four-hour match on Friday at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden.
Nadal had a 5-2 lead in the third set before Navone, of Argentina, twice broke his serve to tiethe deciding set at 5-5. But Nadal dropped just one point in the final two games