Nadal battles past Baghdatis in Stuttgart

Rafael Nadal of Spain in Monaco April 11, 2014. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

(Reuters) - Two-times Wimbledon champion Rafa Nadal kicked off his grasscourt season with a 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-2 defeat of Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart on Thursday.

It was a morale-boosting win for the Spaniard who suffered only his second defeat in 72 matches at the French Open last week when he lost in the quarter-final to Novak Djokovic.