Rafael Nadal transformed Rome into his feast in compiling a 27-1 record and collecting five tournament titles in six trips to the Italian capital. Yet midway through the second set today, the world No. 1 found himself dining on dust while facing a one-set deficit to Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi. Trying to change direction quickly, Nadal tumbled to the red clay, leaving a swath of dirt on the back of his canary-colored shirt, then rose to face the problems posed by the serve-and-volley stylings of Lorenzi.
The 148th-ranked Lorenzi had never won back-to-back matches at a Masters event and Nadal had never lost successive clay-court matches. But with the five-time French Open champion deadlocked at 4-all in the second set, news of an unforgettable upset brewing in the Eternal City spread so fast Lorenzi was trending on Twitter.
It was then that Nadal began to fire his forehand with greater ambition, found his feet and stamped out the scare in reeling off eight straight games, snuffing out the inspired Italian, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0, in two hours and 36 minutes.
Italians have risen to heroic heights in Rome before—Filippo Volandri toppled then top-ranked Roger Federer in 2007; Francesca Schiavone, then ranked No. 26, upset Serena Williams in 2005—but when Lorenzi stood eight points from victory today, he was nearing an upset so inconceivable it would have made David vs. Goliath look like a pick ‘em in contrast.
Attacking astutely, volleying short to make Nadal hit up on the ball and employing a dipping drop shot, Lorenzi won 14 of 18 trips to the net in seizing the opening set. Fighting fatigue, a wayward forehand and Lorenzi’s bold attacking style, even Nadal’s vaunted grunt was muted at some stages. Lorenzi laced an ace for 5-all in the tiebreaker, earned set point when Nadal netted a shot and sealed the set when Nadal misfired on an overhead. Typically, the repetitive bouncing of Nadal’s feet on the court recall a boxer bouncing a speed bag off a backboard, but both the Spaniard’s footwork and forehand were not as precise as usual throughout the first two sets today.
At 4-all in the second set, Nadal began to pick up his play. Unleashing a barrage of forehands at Lorenzi’s backhand, Nadal drew an error for break point and broke with another series of uppercut forehands for 5-4. Closing the set wasn’t easy, as Nadal missed three forehands and fought off a break point. But finally, the top seed slammed down a smash to take the set.
Lorenzi, who earned the biggest win of his career with a straight-sets sweep of No. 22-ranked Thomaz Bellucci in the first round, continued to press forward in the third set, but began to look every bit of his 29 years as Nadal found the rhythm and range on his passing shots. It was certainly not a vintage performance from Nadal, but he fought through and will now face either Davis Cup teammate Feliciano Lopez or Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in the round of 16, knowing he must pick up his play as he takes aim at a record-extending sixth Rome title.
—Richard Pagliaro