David Nalbandian survived a testing encounter with exciting Swiss shotmaker Stanislas Wawrinka to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The fourth seed was forced to draw on all his big-match experience to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and remain on course for a quarter-final showdown with fellow Argentine Gaston Gaudio.
Nalbandian's next opponent is Finland's in-form 26th seed Jarkko Nieminen, who beat Wang Yeu-tzuoo of Taiwan 6-2, 7-6, 6-2, but the world number four is aiming higher.
Nalbandian has reached the quarter-finals at each of the past three Australian Opens but is confident of going even further this year after beating Roger Federer in last year's season-ending Masters Cup in Beijing.
"I've got a very good feeling. I feel that I'm playing very good from the beginning until the end," Nalbandian told a news conference.
"I feel that next round I will be perfect (physically)... well, almost perfect."
Nalbandian's build-up to the Australian Open was disrupted when he pulled out of the invitational Kooyong Classic with a stomach bug and he needed five sets to win his opening match with unseeded Thai Danai Udomchoke.
But the 24-year-old produced a much better performance against Wawrinka, who was appearing in his first Australian Open after being eliminated in the qualifiers the past two years.
Nalbandian took the opening set in 45 minutes with a single service break in the third game when Wawrinka slapped a forehand into the net.
Wawrinka had 12 break points against Nalbandian throughout the course of the match but converted just once in the second set to square the match at one set all, clinching the set with a whipped forehand into the corner.
But Nalbandian surged in front again when he won the third set in 43 minutes with a crashing forehand, then got the vital break early in the fourth and held on for victory.
"It was a very tough second round. He's very young, he's very good and he will be more dangerous (in the future)," Nalbandian said.
