Nicolas Almagro has come through in three tough sets against Andrey Golubev to set up a Mutua Madrid Open second-round meeting against Andy Murray.
The Spaniard took his one and only break point in the first set to claim a 6-3 success before a much tighter second in which neither man surrendered serve.
The tie-break was equally close, with Kazakh Golubev coming out on top 11-9 after saving two match points.
In the decider, Almagro struck an early blow by breaking Golubev at the first time of asking.
Unlike the first set it wouldn't be enough for victory as qualifier Golubev saved three match points before breaking back at 5-3 down.
Golubev saved three more match points at 5-6 to ensure another tie-break, but this time he couldn't pull off victory.
Almagro charged out to a 6-2 lead, and although Golubev saved two more match points, Almagro finally converted on his 11th to win in just over two-and-a-half hours.
Pascal Lemesre
