Paris: Rafael Nadal came from behind for a second match in a row Friday at the French Open, surviving another shaky start to beat Martin Klizan 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Entering the tournament, seven-time champion Nadal had lost only 14 sets in 53 matches at the French Open. Now he has lost the opening set in each of the first two rounds.
Last year, Nadal dropped one set in the entire tournament en route to a record seventh Roland Garros title.
Forced to wait a day to play because of rain, Nadal lost serve four times and needed nearly three hours to reach the third round. When Klizan's final shot sailed out, Nadal gave the cheering crowd a relieved thumbs-up and managed a weak smile.
John Isner ended his six-match losing streak in five-setters, coming back to beat Ryan Harrison 5-7, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-1, 8-6 in all-American matchup in the French Open's second round.
It's the first time in Isner's career he has come back to win a match after dropping the first two sets.
The 19th-seeded Isner - best known for winning the longest match in tennis history, 70-68 in the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2010 - lost in five sets at each of last year's four Grand Slam tournaments. That includes an 18-16 defeat in the second round at Roland Garros against 261st-ranked Paul-Henri Mathieu across more than 5½ hours.
The victory Friday over the 92nd-ranked Harrison was quick by comparison, lasting 3 hours, 50 minutes.
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