Sports bettors who were up till the wee hours of the morning (myself included) to watch Rafael Nadal’s clash with David Nalbandian, would agree it was the most dramatically charged affair of the all the last 16 encounters on the schedule yesterday. The first two sets had a little bit of everything – from exquisite shot making and thrilling power shots to momentum shifts that oscillated erratically between both players to have spectators at the edge of their seats, wondering who would emerge the winner – before Nadal ran off with the match in the third frame. For most of the match it was anybody’s guess who would win. And for a time there it looked like the world No.1 and 2007 Indian Wells champion was poised to join the line-up of seeds exiting the tournament early.

Prior to their fourth round encounter Nalbandian had not dropped a set to the Spaniard. Nadal admittedly was afraid of the Argentine’s awesome backhand and lacked self-belief because he had never gotten into the win column against him. But in Nadal-like fashion he refused to give in and after he saved five match points in the second set tiebreaker to level the playing field at 36 76(5) he completed the coup de grace by holding the Argentine to love in the third.

Next up for Nadal is another Argentine in the quarterfinals, Juan Martin Del Potro – a player most would argue is better than Nalbandian, and who will outdo his compatriot’s achievements over his career.

Tennis Betting Line: Rafael Nadal -800 Juan Martin Del Potro +425

Match Time: 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time Friday March 20 2009

Head-to-head series: Nadal leads the head-to-head series 3-0. He beat Del Potro three times in 2007 and once on each surface – hard, clay and grass.

Tennis Analysis: The psychology of this quarterfinal match is entirely different from the last 16 encounter for Nadal. Unlike his match against Nalbandian, Nadal can enter this match confident in the knowledge he has beaten Del Porto before. There is some comfort in that knowledge. He has never lost to Del Potro and nor dropped a set to him either.

That said, Nadal has not played Del Potro since the Argentine exploded into the top ten ranks on the heels of hot streak that saw him pick up four consecutive titles last year. So while the psychology of this match is an optimistic one for Nadal the dynamic has altered and it is not without some concern that sports bettors turn to his upcoming challenge.

Del Potro is an entirely different player than he was in 2007. After capping of a standout 2008 season, Del Potro picked up his first title on the year in Auckland. He carried the momentum into the Australian Open quarterfinals where he came across Federer. He lost to the maestro but what was significant about their match was the manner in which he lost. Horrendously. He was schooled by Federer 63 60 60.

Tennis Betting Verdict: That Aussie Open loss must be uppermost in Del Potro’s mind and sports bettors come to that. The question after that drumming was whether he would recover for the rest of the year. If his subsequent tournaments were an indication – back-to-back quarterfinal losses to lesser-ranked players in San Jose and Memphis – it would seem he has lost his way a bit. In Indian Wells he has been similarly scrappy. He needed three sets to close out his first two matches against opponents that on paper should have been blowouts for the Argentine. His last triumph over wild card John Isner was a tight affair.

Taking all this into consideration it is obvious Del Potro has lost his edge. If he wants to beat Nadal he will certainly need to find it. He has never beaten Nadal and given the state of his confidence these days – all in tatters – I am not sure how he will accomplish the feat. More importantly, whether Nadal played well enough or not against Nalbandian is unimportant, the fact of the matter is he won the match under extreme pressure. If that does not convince sports bettors than I don’t know what would.

Tennis Free Picks: Nadal in straight sets

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