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.

But the outsider showed that he had come to play under clouds at Crandon Park, recovering nicely from an early break in the first set and pushing the Spanish world number 1 before dropping the first set after losing serve in the 11th game.

Gil, who now stand 9-4 on the season, went up 2-0 in the second set to the shock of the Spaniard, but Nadal again reeled in the feisty outsider with a break in the first game before sprinting to the safety of a win, which put him into the fourth round.

Nadal's testing victory was his 23rd of the season against just two defeats as he strives to add another trophy to his Australian Open crown from January and this month's trophy at Indian Wells.

Nadal was joined in the last 16 by sixth seed Juan Del Potro as the rising Argentine beat Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-1. Viktor Troicki took revenge for the Balkan nation as he beat German Bjorn Phau 6-4, 6-3.

On the women's side, Danish teenaged talent Caroline Wozniacki stunned Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, sending the Russian fourth seed to a 7-5, 6-4 defeat, while Russian sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova beat compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-1. (dpa)