Nadal grinds down teenager Gulbis

World number two Rafael Nadal was given a tough workout by Latvian teenager Ernests Gulbis before prevailing 5-7 6-2 7-6 6-3 in an absorbing second round tie at Wimbledon on Thursday.
The Spaniard, runner-up in 2006 and 2007 and seeded to meet five-times champion Roger Federer in the final again, came through an attritional battle against the 19-year-old on Court One.
Gulbis, the world-ranked 48 who reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, threatened to produce another shock after Wednesday's departure of third seed Novak Djokovic by claiming the first set thanks to a dominating serve. Nadal hit back to claim a one-sided second but needed to call on his entire repertoire of strokes to assert control in the third and fourth.
The opening set showed why the Latvian has pushed into the world's top 50. Possessing a high-velocity and accurate serve, he had Nadal swiping at thin air more than once and allowed his opponent to claim just four points against it.
Also proving more than a match for Nadal's counter-punching game, Gulbis was not afraid to force his opponent to scurry in from the baseline with a succession of drop shots.
One sublime drop, which Nadal retrieved at full stretch but was then marooned when the ball came back over his head, set up another chance for Gulbis and the set was secured when the Spaniard went long.
At 30-0 up Gulbis had the chance for another break early in the second but Nadal recovered to hold and broke his opponent for the first time in the next game as the Latvian, under pressure for the first time, thumped a forehand wide.
A double break was secured when Gulbis tamely netted and Nadal, capitalising on the Latvian's increasing error count, easily levelled the match. The third set went with serve as Gulbis dug in. Nadal needed to be at his best to hold when serving at deuce and 4-5 down, and the Spaniard pulled away in the tiebreak after passing Gulbis at the net with a crosscourt winner.
The four-times French Open champion, who claimed his first grasscourt title at Queen's Club, broke to lead 5-3 in the fourth and comfortably served out.
He next plays experienced German Nicolas Kiefer, the 27th seed, who reached the quarter-finals on his Wimbledon debut in 1997 but has not gone beyond the fourth round in nine further attempts.