Second seed Rafael Nadal survived a late fightback from Adrian Mannarino as he beat the French qualifier 6-1 7-6 (8-6) to reach the quarter-finals of the China Open on a rain-hit day in Beijing.
The 30-year-old got off to a quick start, winning nine of the first 11 games.
However, Mannarino rallied back to force the second set into a tie-break before Nadal ended the contest on his second match point.
"I think I played a fantastic first set. Great level of tennis, serving very good, hitting so good. During the second set, I slowed the rhythm a little bit and he played very well," Nadal said..
"I think I played with the right amount of determination in the tiebreak. It's very important for my confidence to pass through these tough moments."
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Nadal will face Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in Friday's quarter-finals.
Dimitrov, who is bidding to reach his third final of the year, was two points away from defeat against sixth seed Lucas Pouille but fought back for a gruelling 6-7 (7-3) 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 victory in two hours, 26 minutes.
"Especially in the second set, when he was serving for the match. I felt I was playing good tennis," the 25-year-old Dimitrov said..
"All I could do was stay composed, try to hit every ball that I could and use every opportunity. They came a bit late, but I'm pretty happy with it."
All other matches were cancelled due to rain, including third seed Milos Raonic second round clash against Tunisia's Malek Jaziri.
