Rafael Nadal of Spain pumps his first after winning the first set against Taylor Dent of the U.S. during their second round match at the Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament in Cincinnati, August 18, 2010. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

World number one Rafael Nadal saved a match point before downing France's Julien Benneteau 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP Cincinnati Masters on Thursday.

The reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion from Spain won for the 36th time in his past 38 matches but was on the verge of being ousted in the tie-breaker before fighting back.

"A match like this gives me a lot of confidence," Nadal said. "It's important for everything. A match point? Yeah. I am doing this well. I am playing aggressive. But I need to do better the next few days."

"It wasn't easy for sure. Julien played a good match. At the beginning he played at a high level. I made a few mistakes. I have to keep improving," he added.

Nadal reached a quarterfinal against Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who upset Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-4.

World number two Roger Federer, fourth-ranked Briton Andy Murray and Serb Novak Djokovic also advanced with triumphs Thursday.

The four top seeds reached the semifinals last week at Toronto, a feat that could be repeated in Cincinnati.