Nadal Survives Torrid Opening to Overcome Simon

The result may appear straightforward, but for a set at least the action was emphatically not. Second seed Rafael Nadal moved into the fourth round today with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 over world No33 Gilles Simon, but only after surviving a torrid first set in which he had to save six set points.

Nadal appeared sluggish in the opening exchanges and Simon wasted no time seizing the initiative, breaking his opponent at the first attempt and quickly seizing a 3-0 lead. It was an advantage he looked set to maintain as he dominated Nadal with some fierce hitting from the baseline.

Even after missing his first two opportunities to take the set - when he blew two break points at 5-2 with a pair of unforced errors - Simon showed no signs of relenting, earning another set point on his own serve in the next game. Once again Simon's nerve failed at the crucial moment, as he sent a backhand long under little pressure, but once again he appeared to recover, taking a 0-40 lead on Nadal's serve at 5-4.

At the crucial moment, however, Nadal steadied himself, serving up two aces and a perfectly weighted drop shot to bring the game to deuce, before seeing out the game in similarly emphatic fashion. Finally Simon wilted, allowing Nadal to break again and take the first set in 70 minutes.

Taking advantage of the blow he had inflicted on his opponent's morale, Nadal stormed into a 4-0 lead in the second set, and although Simon recovered, the outcome would never again look in doubt. Nadal will now face the winner of the clash between Stefan Koubek and Paul-Henri Mathieu in the fourth round.

Earlier, fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko required treatment for a knee injury, but still had little trouble dispatching another Frenchman - Marc Gicquel - 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. He will face compatriot Mikhail Youzhny, who saw off Ivo Karlovic 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Andy Murray's first-round conqueror Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, meanwhile, continued his fine tournament with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.