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Defending champion Rafael Nadal admitted that he had been in deep trouble in his French Open first round clash with German Daniel Brands.
Nadal, gunning for a an eighth title at Roland Garros, was a set down and 3-0 behind in a second set tie-break to Brands before mounting a stirring comeback to win out 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-3.
The Spanish clay-court maestro said after escaping a potential shock: "When you feel you are hitting not a bad shot and every time comes back a bomb and a winner from the beginning, sometimes that's frustrating.
"At two sets to love, I don't say that I wouldn't have a chance, because I always hope that there is a chance and I will keep fighting.
"But you have to play under a lot of pressure the rest of the match. So I found the solution at the right time."
Next up for Nadal is a meeting with Slovakian Martin Klizan, with the pair having never previously met on the ATP Tour.
Nadal is1.01to reach round three and1.18to beat Klizan in straight sets, while the Spaniard is1.66to be crowned champion in Paris for an eighth time.
Women's defending champion Maria Sharapova had no problems in booking her place in round two, as she dismissed Hsieh Su-wei 6-2 6-1 in less than an hour.
However, there was a massive shock in the men's draw as fifth seed Tomas Berdych was beaten in a five-set first round thriller with Gael Monfils, with the Frenchman eventually prevailing 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-7 7-5.
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