Rafael Nadal

Related Links

• Federer cruises into 3rd round
• Federer hires new coach
• Federer off to winning start

New York - World number one Rafa Nadal turned the tables in a dramatic second-set tiebreaker on his way to a 6-2 7-6 7-5 victory over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan to reach the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday.

Top-seeded Nadal trailed 5-1 in the second-set decider after a spectacular point by the 39th-ranked Istomin, who left a long skid mark and finished with his legs split after a dash to hit a winner off a delicate drop shot from the Spaniard.

After joining the roaring Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd in applauding Istomin's efforts, Nadal claimed the next six points to win the tiebreaker and then broke serve in the last game of the match to keep on track for the only grand slam title to elude him.

However, Nadal, 24, tried to downplay his quest to complete the career grand slam.

"If I can win this tournament it would be a dream," the Spaniard said. "But I'm five matches away. I don't think about winning this tournament right now."

The match featured a slew of exciting rallies as blistering serves, not entirely unexpected since the pair battled through three tough sets including a tiebreaker at Queen's, in which Nadal prevailed before capturing the Wimbledon crown.

"He was playing really well, I think," Nadal told the crowd after the hard-fought win against Istomin, who was a finalist in last week's hardcourt event.

"He had a very good tournament last week in New Haven. He is with confidence. Today, I was a little bit lucky in the tiebreaker of the second set."

Nadal, showing off an impressively potent serve that reached 134 miles per hour (216 kph) and produced eight aces, never allowed a break point in the first set, while cracking Istomin's in the fifth and seventh games.

The second set stayed on serve to set up a tiebreak.

The Spaniard, who won two tiebreakers in his first-round win against Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia, looked doomed in the decider after Istomin's show-stopping winner to go ahead 5-1.

But Istomin got a little careless and Nadal, after benefiting from a net cord that thwarted his opponent, tied it at 5-5 and then delivered a sizzling service winner before winning the set when Istomin sailed a backhand long.

Nadal avoided another tiebreaker in the third set with a service break in the final game thanks to two groundstroke errors by Istomin.

"My serve keeps working well," said Nadal, who didn't lose serve in notching his 16th grand slam match win in a row.

Up next for the French Open and Wimbledon champion will be Gilles Simon of France, who beat 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in five sets to advance.

Collated results of Friday's matches at the US Open tennis (x denotes seed):

Women

Samantha Stosur (AUS x5) bt Sara Errani (ITA) 6-2, 6-3

Elena Dementieva (RUS x12) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x24) 7-5, 6-2

Kim Clijsters (BEL x2) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x27) 6-3, 6-0

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x20) bt Gisela Dulko (ARG) 6-1, 6-2

Francesca Schiavone (ITA x6) bt Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 6-1, 7-5

Ana Ivanovic (SRB) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 7-5, 6-0

Venus Williams (USA x3) bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 6-2, 6-1

Shahar Peer (ISR x16) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA x19) 6-4, 6-4

Men

Tommy Robredo (ESP) bt Julien Benneteau (FRA) 6-4, 6-6 retired

Michael Llodra (FRA) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-2

Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)

Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Dustin Brown (JAM) 7-5, 6-3, 6-0

David Ferrer (ESP x10) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x12) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) bt Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7/2)

John Isner (USA x18) bt Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4

Feliciano Lopez (ESP x23) bt Benoit Paire (FRA) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2

Fernando Verdasco (ESP x8) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x25) by Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

Sam Querrey (USA x20) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

David Nalbandian (ARG x31) bt Florent Serra (FRA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-2

Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x29) 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3

Nicolas Almagro (ESP x14) v Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)

Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5