ROME, May 12 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal rediscovered his lost spark to reach the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters on Thursday, defeating fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-2.
The world number one flirted with danger in the previous round when he struggled past Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi in three sets but against Lopez he looked much more like the player who won 37 consecutive matches on his favourite clay until being stopped by Novak Djokovic in Madrid on Sunday.
Nadal, champion in Rome for five of the past six years, stamped his authority at the start of the match as won the opening three games against the rangy Lopez.
With his forehand back to its destructive best Nadal looked on course for a trouble-free passage against his close friend who he had never lost to on clay, but his early fire fizzled out as the unseeded Lopez hit back to break and level at 4-4.
One snatched forehand was reminiscent of some of his scruffy play against Lorenzi the previous day when he came within two games of a shock defeat but he quickly regained control.
Nadal held serve for a 5-4 lead and Lopez buckled in the 10th game. missing a volley, netting an attempted drop shot and then watching as Nadal unleashed a fierce backhand crosscourt winner to take the set.
Nadal waited until the sixth game of the second set to launch a match-ending attack, firing another flashing backhand pass and then winning a 26-stroke rally with a savage forehand to break the Lopez serve.
The five-times French Open champion finished the match in style and one more victory against either Mardy Fish or Marin Cilic will ensure that he stays ahead of Djokovic in the rankings going to Roland Garros.
Man-of-the-moment Djokovic, who faces Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka later on Thursday, can claim the world number one ranking if he wins the title in Rome and Nadal fails to reach the semi-finals.
The world number one flirted with danger in the previous round when he struggled past Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi in three sets but against Lopez he looked much more like the player who won 37 consecutive matches on his favourite clay until being stopped by Novak Djokovic in Madrid on Sunday.
Nadal, champion in Rome for five of the past six years, stamped his authority at the start of the match as won the opening three games against the rangy Lopez.
With his forehand back to its destructive best Nadal looked on course for a trouble-free passage against his close friend who he had never lost to on clay, but his early fire fizzled out as the unseeded Lopez hit back to break and level at 4-4.
One snatched forehand was reminiscent of some of his scruffy play against Lorenzi the previous day when he came within two games of a shock defeat but he quickly regained control.
Nadal held serve for a 5-4 lead and Lopez buckled in the 10th game. missing a volley, netting an attempted drop shot and then watching as Nadal unleashed a fierce backhand crosscourt winner to take the set.
Nadal waited until the sixth game of the second set to launch a match-ending attack, firing another flashing backhand pass and then winning a 26-stroke rally with a savage forehand to break the Lopez serve.
The five-times French Open champion finished the match in style and one more victory against either Mardy Fish or Marin Cilic will ensure that he stays ahead of Djokovic in the rankings going to Roland Garros.
Man-of-the-moment Djokovic, who faces Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka later on Thursday, can claim the world number one ranking if he wins the title in Rome and Nadal fails to reach the semi-finals.
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