Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal saved a match point before going on to upset Russian 15th seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a dramatic second-round battle at the Australian Open on Thursday.
A point from victory at 5-4 in the fourth set, Youzhny sent a drive volley the wrong side of the line and the left-handed Nadal stormed back, falling to the court in ecstasy as he clinched victory.
The 18-year-old Nadal, who outgunned American Andy Roddick in Seville as Spain won the Davis Cup in December, began like an express train, racing through the first set in just 25 minutes.
Youzhny, whose amazing fightback from two sets down against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu gave Russia their first Davis Cup triumph in 2002, cut out his errors in the second and third sets to forge ahead.
Nadal, however, refused to give in.
After saving the match point, he won seven games in a row to lead 4-0 in the deciding set, and though Youzhny fought back to 4-3, a stinging forehand from Nadal sealed the Spaniard's place in round three for the second successive year. He now his sights on a possible rematch with Lleyton Hewitt.
EYEING HEWITT
Nadal went out to Hewitt in the third round last year and is on course to meet the Australian in the last 16 this time around.
Before that, however, he must see off American qualifier Bobby Reynolds in the third round.
"If I win this match (against Reynolds), for me it is a very good tournament," said the 18-year-old left-hander. "And after, I would have a nice match against Lleyton.
"Last year I played a very, very good match with him. I lost 7-6 7-6 6-3 but I had a chance. And now I only think about the next match."
Since their last meeting, Hewitt may have regained some of the form which saw him end 2001 and 2002 as the world number one but Nadal has begun to fulfil his abundant potential, helping Spain beat the United States to win the Davis Cup in December.
Nadal's outstanding victory over Andy Roddick set Spain on their way then and against Youzhny he showed enough maturity to suggest he could threaten Hewitt if the two should meet again.
"Last year I played good here, and this year I am in the same round, in the third round," he said. "It is my best result in a grand slam and I hope I keep improving in this one."
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