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Rafael Nadal advanced past Round 2 of the 2015 US Open, but the win didn't come easy. Throughout his entire match against Diego Schwartzman, Nadal was tested. Ultimately, No. 8 Nadal prevailed over Schwartzman, winning 7-6, 6-3, 7-5 to advance to Round 3 where he'll meet Fabio Fognini.

Nadal surged ahead of Schwartzman in the early going, winning the first three games. But just when Nadal appeared to be in complete control, Schwartzman made a charge at Nadal's lead.

Schwartzman won five of the next seven games. Suddenly, the set was on serve and tied at five games apiece. The set would be settled in the tiebreak, which Nadal won by a narrow 7-5 margin.

In the second set, Nadal didn't let up, this time cruising to a 6-3 win. But in the third set, Nadal went down a break. In the set's eighth game, Nadal had his chance, securing one break-point opportunity. He capitalized on the moment and got the set back on serve.

This time, no tiebreak would be needed, as Nadal broke Schwartzman one more time to take the set 7-5. In the match, Nadal landed 38 winners and committed 40 unforced errors. Schwartzman also committed 40 unforced errors, but only connected on 28 winners.

Afterwards, Nadal let his emotions fly.

Despite the win, Nadal's performance didn't seem to indicate that he has a chance to win his first Grand Slam of the year. At times, Schwartzman had Nadal on the ropes. Furthermore, No. 1 Novak Djokovic lurks on his side of the draw, as the two could meet as earlier as the quarterfinals. Earlier this season, Djokovic topped Nadal at the French Open, which is played on clay (Nadal's most dominant surface).

For now, Nadal will take the win, because at times on Wednesday, it looked as if Schwartzman could steal the match.

Rafael Nadal is onto Round 3 at the US Open. (USATSI)