Nadal fights back from two sets down to reach quarters

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) Rafael Nadal came back from two sets down to beat Mikhail Youzhny 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 and reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals today.

Nadal, the second seed and runner-up last year, will meet Czech Tomas Berdych, the number seven seed, in the last eight after taking just over three hours to overcome Youzhny.

The Russian 14th seed played near flawless tennis in the opening two sets, finding the corners with precision and hitting fine volleys at the net while Nadal struggled to settle after his marathon match with Robin Soderling in the previous round.

The roles were reversed from the third set which Nadal raced through in 27 minutes after which Youzhny needed courtside treatment on his back.

Youzhny was then overwhelmed as the fired-up Spaniard took the match with identical scores and times in the last two sets.

REUTERS PDS BST2020