Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after winning his match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov at the Swiss Indoors in Basel on Wednesday. (Reuters)

DPA
Basel, Switzerland

Rafael Nadal’s season of patchy play took a positive turn as the determined Spaniard fought back in a second match this week and reached the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors on Wednesday.
The third seed who is working to improve his game after a mainly forgettable season, rallied from the brink to pull out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of Grigor Dimitrov.
Nadal, who struggled on Monday to win in three sets against Czech Lukas Rosol, put the opening set in his pocket after coming from 1-3 down, but lost his way in the second as his Bulgarian opponent seized the initiative.
Nadal’s chances of a fighback were dented as he double-faulted to lose the first game of the third. But the 14-time grand slam winner got it back for 5-3 and served out the victory a game later.
“This was another very tough match, I had to fight,” Nadal said. “But to win this way was fantastic. I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals. Winning like this gives me confidence after my second important win this week.
“I’m trying to change my game a bit for indoors and it is starting to work. Winning close matches like this is great for the confidence. “It means that I get another day in the tournament and another chance to win a match.”
Nadal came to the court with a 6-0 record in the series—including straight-set wins at 2015 Masters 1000s in Madrid and Rome—and was playing with renewed confidence after a semi-final and final in China.
Ivo Karlovic handed Stan Wawrinka an eighth first-round loss to send the French Open winner out of his home event for a fourth consecutive year. Wawrinka,
seeded second, last won a match at the event in 2011.
The 30-year-old Wawrinka was unable to make his past 5-1 record count against Karlovic, who came from a set and a break down to advance to the second round in just over an hour and three-quarters.
Wawrinka won the opening set on fine form but was then reeled in by Karlovic as the 36-year-old Croatian recovered a break in the second set to level at 3-3.
From then on, with his huge serve eventually producing 21 aces and 42 winners, the big man earned the upset which left Roger Federer as the last Swiss standing in his hometown at the venue where got his start in the game as a ballboy two decades ago.
“It’s never easy to lose  a match like that, especially since I felt I was
playing well and feeling good. I had my chances to take control of the match,” Wawrinka said.
“After the first set, everything was good, I was playing well. I played really good for two sets more or less. I had a few mistakes, but it can happen.
“He’s playing his best year so far, he’s improved his game a lot. He serves amazing and you dont get many chances. Today I got my chances and I didn’t take them.”
Wawrinka has gone out at the opening bell on eight of 11 Basel participations.
“I had a poor first set and was missing a lot with my volleys,” Karlovic said.
“But I got better in the second set. I was also a bit lucky when I converted by break points. After that, things started going my way.”
South African Kevin Anderson, seeded fourth, beat Croatian Borna Coric  6-3, 6-2. Seventh seed Marin Cilic carried over his momentum from a second straight title he won at the weekend in Moscow, starting with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) defeat of Basel native Marco Chiudinelli .
Jack Sock beat fellow American Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-2 and ill next play countryman John Isner, the sixth seed. Teimuraz Gabashvil beat Leonardo Mayer 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Belgian eighth seed David Goffin, 2014 losing finalist to Roger Federer, reached the first of the quarter-final spots with his 6-4, 6-3 win over Adrian Mannarino.
Federer urges ball kids to
approach him at Aus Open
Swiss great Roger Federer yesterday encouraged ball kids to break their golden rule and approach him for photos and autographs at next year’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
Ball boys and girls are forbidden to make personal requests to players, but in a video message sent to the 380 children who will officiate at the 2016 tournament, Federer asked them to interact with him during the Grand Slam.
“I was one of them (ball kids), I used to love chasing players down for autographs or pictures,” the 17-time major winner said.
“I’m not even sure if you’re allowed to do it, but if you’re not, you can always ask me. I’m totally cool about it.”
Tournament director Craig Tiley said being so accommodating might not be as easy as Federer thinks.
“It’s no surprise he’s willing to be approached by the kids for a ‘selfie’—he’s incredibly generous and always makes time for his fans,” Tiley told Melbourne’s Herald Sun.
“But with more than 380 in the Australian Open Ballkid Program, it might be a little ambitious, and we will rely on their outstanding professionalism to not break any rules.”