Rafael Nadal happy to progress in Barcelona after "bad start"

Rafael Nadal has insisted that securing a place in the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open was more important than his performance.

The Spaniard has conceded that he wasn't at his best in the opening set against Benoit Paire, but managed to pull through to claim a 7-6[2] 6-2 win.

"It wasn't brilliant but getting the victory was the most important thing," BBC Sport quotes Nadal as saying. "It was good to win in two sets after a bad start."

Nadal will face either Kei Nishikori or Albert Ramos in the next round.