Miami  - Desperate Rafael Nadal saved two of three match points with aces but couldn't hold off the momentum of hard-charging Argentine Juan Del Potro, taking a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) defeat Thursday in the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters.

The three-hour epic handed Del Potro his first victory over Spain's number 1 after three previous defeats. The youngster had not won a single set in the series before stepping onto court in front of an overwhelmingly Latin crowd in South Florida.

Miami  - Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were both pushed by aggressive opponents Monday before the pair of leading seeds constructed survival scenarios to reach the fourth round at the Miami Masters.

Number 1 Nadal had fought off a spirited challenge from Portuguese challenger Federico Gil for a tight, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

"No opponent is easy, especially if you are not playing your best tennis," said Nadal. "Everything was more difficult today. I didn't play very well, and I had chances to lose the first set."

Miami - Rafael Nadal had to fight off a spirited challenge from Portuguese challenger Federico Gil on Monday, beginning the wrap-up week of the Miami Masters with a tight 7-5, 6-3 third-round victory.

Top seed Nadal found himself in a surprise struggle with the 24- year-old Gil, the unfancied world number 74 from Sintra near Lisbon.

Miami  - Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray made competent starts at the Miami masters with the Spanish top seed producing a crushing 6-2, 6-2 win over Teimuraz Gabashvili on Saturday.

Nadal claimed his 22nd victory of the season against just two losses in the rout of the Russian. He was joined as a winner by sixth seed Juan Del Potro, who beat Argentine Marcello Vassallo Arguello by a similar score.

Murray took a set to get adjusted to the baseline backboard game of Juan Monaco before emerging from his first meeting with the Argentine a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner.

Madrid  - Fewer tournaments to maximize his performance: world number one Rafael Nadal's plan for 2009 is delivering results with amazing precision.

On Sunday, in Indian Wells, Nadal, 22, lifted his second trophy of the season, number 33 in his career, to win his 13th Masters. The two most important tournaments in the first quarter of the year - the Australian Open and the first Masters of the season - have been won by the Spaniard.

Hamburg - Rafael Nadal stretched his lead at the top of the men's tennis rankings by virtue of his Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday.

The Spaniard leads the list issued on Monday by the ATP with 14,990 points from Switzerland's Roger Federer (10,910) and Serbian Novak Djokovic (8,420). Nadal beat fourth-ranked Briton Andy Murray in straight sets on Sunday.