After a nail-biting first set and two rain-delays in the set, Nando prevailed with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over 16th-seeded and 48th-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy, in the third round.

Fernando double-faulted four times within his first two service games and lost three of the first four games, eventually trailing 3-5, before managing to break back with a 6-5 lead before Seppi served to stay in the set, forcing a first set tiebreak which Fernando went on to win 7-3.

Fernando started off the second set much better than the first, and was leading 3-1 at 0-30 in the fifth game when the first rain delay was called. Play resumed for Nando to win the game, but was suspended for another rain delay.

After the rain delay, Fernando grabbed a commanding 5-1 lead. Seppi held serve to bring the score to 5-2, but Nando held serve and it was game, second set and match to Verdasco. This is his fifth consecutive victory against the Italian, bringing their head to head to 5-0. Seppi beat Fernando back in 2003 in a challenger match in Milan.

“I was just giving my 100 percent to try to finish the match as soon as possible,” Fernando said in his post-match presser. “I really played good those three last games.”

Fernando’s next opponent is 11th-seeded and 37th-ranked Jurgen Melzer from Austria. Fernando leads their head to head at 2-1, but they are dead even on hard courts. Melzer won their most recent career meeting, three years ago here in New Haven, winning the first set 6-4 and up 4-1 before Fernando retired. Prior to that, Fernando won their other hard court meeting in Marseille, 6-4, 7-5(3)