Rafael Nadal has shown some signs of rust in his third-round match in Montreal. But his strategy has proven to be enough to nudge a victory against world number 18 Jerzy Janowicz.

The first set has been a back-and-forth battle between the two competitors, not giving each other enough breathing room to secure the set.

Janowicz's strategy includes bombing his opponent's serve then trying to finish with drop shots inside the baseline if the opportunity presents itself. This has proven to be effective for the Pole as he has made several fine plays at the net.

Nonetheless, the Spaniard was able to adjust and telegraph some of his opponent's shots to keep the scores at bay. As part of his strategy, he has also adjusted his serve and service return, aiming the ball at Janowicz's right hip when serving and standing close to the baseline during service returns.

The first set reached tie-breaker with Nadal winning it by returning a telegraphed backhand drop shot with a backhand overhead.

The Pole was able to start second set with a 3-0 lead but Rafa was able to rally to secure the set at 6-4 en route to winning the match, proving once again his ability to come back from adversity.

With the win, Nadal moves on to the quarter finals against Marinko Matosevic of Australia.

Watch the highlights of Nadal vs. Janowicz match below.