Nadal overcomes strong rally from Edmund to reach third round

Defending champion Rafael Nadal withstood a determined comeback from Britain’s Kyle Edmund to win 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters yesterday.

He was joined in the third round by top-ranked Andy Murray, who returned from an elbow injury to beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 7-5, 7-5.

Murray, the French Open finalist last year, has never won here, while the fourth-seeded Nadal is aiming for a 10th title in Monte Carlo.

He looked to be coasting until Edmund found his range with huge forehands. The third set was intense, with three straight breaks of serve from 2-2, until the nine-time French Open champion drew on his vastly superior experience on clay.

The Spaniard’s relief was evident

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when he secured victory on his first match point.

After Edmund patted a return into the net, Nadal tilted his head back and raised his arms in the air.

Nadal’s next match could be tough, too. He faces 14th-seeded Alexander Zverev, the 19-yearold German who pushed him to five sets in the third round at this year’s Australian Open.

Nadal is looking for this first title of the year after losing in three finals - including defeats to Roger Federer at the Australian Open and the Miami Open.

He will not be able to get his revenge on Federer here, since the 18-time Grand Slam champion is skipping the tournament. Federer is playing very little on clay before his bid for another Wimbledon title.