Nadal has won nine titles in Rome but he again struggled with his serve and made an unusual amount of unforced errors against an opponent who had shown little form on clay until this tournament.
The 34-year-old said: “It’s an important victory for me. To be able to win these kind of matches against young players gives me confidence with my body. It’s true that I have to do things better for tomorrow.
“But the main thing today for me is to recover physically. It has been a positive victory for me. I fought until the end a lot to be in the quarter-finals.”