By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Rafael Nadal won his second-round match Friday at the French Open, but for the second time this week had to rally from a set down to do it.
The seven-time French champ dropped the opening set Friday against Slovakia's Martin Klizan, but stormed back to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 triumph. The script was similar for Nadal in the first round, as he also lost the first set against Daniel Brands before winning the next three.
Nadal, trying for a fourth straight title at Roland Garros and eighth in the past nine years, will meet Italy's Fabio Fognini in round three. The Spanish superstar is seeded third this year despite a season in which he has reached the final in each of the eight tournaments he has played -- winning six -- since coming back from a seven-month layoff caused by a knee injury.
Weather issues on Thursday forced a number of second-round matches into Friday. Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Tommy Haas of Germany and Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko were second-round winners Friday.
The seventh-seeded Gasquet trampled Poland's Michal Przysiezny, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0, while the 12th-seeded Haas knocked out American Jack Sock in straight sets and the unseeded Davydenko eliminated Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in three. Jerzy Janowicz of Poland and Russian Mikhail Youzhny also advanced in four sets.
Third-round play is also on the schedule for Friday with the bottom half of the draw slated for action.
Second-seeded Roger Federer could have his hands full with French crowd favorite Julien Benneteau, who upset the 2009 French champ in Rotterdam earlier this year, while a battle of Frenchmen will feature sixth-seeded Jo- Wilfried Tsonga against Jeremy Chardy.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nadal-again-needs-four-sets-to-advance-at-french