Second seed Rafael Nadal shrugged off a slow start to beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in the Australian Open third round on Friday.
Australian Open 2008: Complete Coverage
The Spaniard trailed 5-2 in the first set to an inspired Simon, who wasted six set points, but he dug deep to win it and then ran away with the match.
With Nadal guilty of hitting the ball too short, 28th seed Simon played superbly but once the Spaniard had pinched the first set, he was always in control.
Nadal grew in confidence as the match progressed and as Simon tired, he eased to victory, setting up a clash with either 23rd seed Paul-Henri Mathieu of France or Austrian Stefan Koubek.
Photographs: Getty Images
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