Rafael Nadal managed his emotions to survive Ivo Karlovic battle

Rafael Nadal has advanced to the third round of the 2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters. According to Nadal, he gained control of his emotions to beat Ivo Karlovic in his second-round opening match 7-5 6-7 7-6 to set up clash with Canadian Milos Raonic.

“In terms of level of concentration and attitude and control of my emotions, it was a fantastic match,” Nadal was quoted as saying in a report by ATPWorldTour.com. “To win 7-6 in the third is a very important victory for me, especially because I believe in the last tiebreak I did not lose a single point on my serve.”

Nadal added that the key to his win was his control of his emotions, which he had been unable to do so in previous tournaments. The Manacor native had been very vocal about his battle with on-court anxiety where he’d lost confidence and felt anxious during his previous matches.

The 14-time grand slam champion will play Milos Raonic in the third round. The Canadian, like Nadal, is looking to book his place in the four remaining slots of the season-ending Barclays’ ATP World Tour Finals in London. Raonic advanced after edging out Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut 6-4 6-7(3) 7-6(5).

Nadal owns a 5-1 advantage in his head-to-head series with Raonic, with the Canadian winning in their most recent encounter at Indian Wells. The pair’s last three clashes also took place in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. The Spaniard only dropped one set in all their previous meetings.

2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters Men’s Singles Completed Second Round Match Results

Novak Djokovic def. Martin Klizan 6-2 6-1

Feliciano Lopez def. Dominic Thiem 6-7(4) 7-6(6) 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Vasek Pospisil 6-4 3-6 6-4

Bernard Tomic def. David Ferrer 6-4 6-2

Andy Murray def. Steve Johnson 6-2 6-4

John Isner def. David Goffin 6-3 7-6(5)

Gilles Simon def. Leonardo Mayer 6-7(0) 6-4 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Jack Sock 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4

Rafael Nadal def. Ivo Karlovic 7-5 6-7(4) 7-6(4)

Milos Raonic def. Roberto Bautista-Agut 6-4 6-7(3) 7-6(5)

Stan Wawrinka def. Viktor Troicki 7-6(3) 6-3