Rafael Nadal, the world No 1, survived a major scare in the first round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
The newly-crowned Australian Open champion was a set down to Italy's Simone Bolelli before fighting back to secure a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory. It was the pair's first meeting and the top seed struggled to counter Bolelli's hitting.
Andy Murray battled his way into the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 victory in an error-strewn meeting with Andreas Seppi.
Mikhail Youzhny knocked out sixth-seeded David Ferrer to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory. Defending champion Michaël Llodra beat Ivo Karlovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Gilles Simon overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 7-6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won two tie-breaks to see off Jess Huta Galung 7-6, 7-6.
Elsewhere, third-seeded James Blake opened his San Jose Open campaign in style, handing a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to fellow American Vince Spadea on Wednesday.
Sam Querrey knocked off Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 5-7, 7-6. Juan Martin Del Potro, the second seed, outlasted Andrea Stoppini 7-6, 7-6. Radek Stepanek triumphed over Chris Guccione 6-2, 7-6, while Tommy Haas edged past Christophe Rochus 6-2, 7-5.
* Agencies
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
