"Tennis is a global sport," Nadal said. "It doesn't change a lot if an American is eighth or 11th. It's not totally in America that you play tennis."

"He's really tried to pull back. He's trying to win it," the former bad boy of tennis said. "He's playing just enough tennis so he has confidence and to intimidate the other players. He is also giving his body a break.

Nadal survived a set point in the second-set tiebreaker, then surged to a 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-2 victory over France's Julien Benneteau, who developed leg cramps in the final set and wasn't the same. A worn-out Murray took advantage of Ernests Gulbis' erratic shots - especially in the tiebreaker - for a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) victory.

"A match like this gives me a lot of confidence," Nadal said. "It's important for everything. A match point? Yeah. I am doing this well. I am playing aggressive. But I need to do better the next few days."
Nadal reached a quarter-final against Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who upset Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-4.
"He's a very tough player," Nadal said of Baghdatis. "It will be a very good match."