Top seed Rafael Nadal bidding to rediscover some semblance of his former all-conquering form recovered from losing the first set to beat fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 and reach the second round of the ATP bet-at-home Open on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old former world No. 1, who has slipped to 10 in the rankings after a run of poor results, struggled in the first set but recovered to take the second before earning a critical break in the decider for a 2-1 lead.
He saved all four break points he faced in the final set to eventually clinch victory and set up a second-round clash with the winner of the Jiri Vesely and Andreas Haider-Maurer match.
Nadal, who has had a tortuous year in which he lost his French Open title and went out in the second round of Wimbledon, is making his first appearance in Hamburg since winning the tournament in 2008 when he beat Roger Federer.
The results: First round: Jiri Vesely bt Andreas Haider-Maurer 3-6, 6-1, 6-0; Pablo Cuevas bt Diego Schwartzman 7-6(4), 6-4; Simone Bolelli bt Lukas Rosol 7-6(3), 7-6(6); Fabio Fognini bt Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4; Tommy Robredo bt Alexander Zverev 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2; Benoit Paire bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Rafael Nadal bt Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
