Nadal’s round of eight joy after three-year absence
RAFAEL NADAL swept into the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday (4), staying on course for a crunch meeting with Nick Kyrgios, who was on his best behaviour in a battling five-set win.
Nadal, chasing a rare calendar Grand Slam, started his campaign at the All England Club slowly but is now in the groove as he hunts down a third Wimbledon crown.
He showed no mercy to Dutch 21st seed Botic van de Zandschulp on Centre Court, overcoming a late wobble to seal a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) win.
“I think I continued in a positive way until the end where I played a bad game,” said the Spanish second seed.
“In a personal way, for me to be able to be in the quarter-finals after three years (away from Wimbledon) it’s amazing for me so very, very happy.”
Nadal broke his opponent five times in the match, capitalising on his fourth match point to reach the Wimbledon quarters for the eighth time.
If the 22-time Grand Slam champion beats 11th seed Taylor Fritz and Kyrgios gets past Chile’s Cristian Garin, they will meet in a semi-final on Friday (8).
Kyrgios earlier shrugged off a shoulder injury to beat US player Brandon Nakashima 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-2.
The maverick Australian was a changed man just two days after his stormy third-round victory against Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Kyrgios looked to be in trouble when Nakashima broke for 4-3 in the fourth and took the set.
But he rallied in the decider, passing the 100-ace mark for the tournament and breaking twice to secure the win.
Kyrgios, who needed regular on-court treatment, hammered 79 winners, including 35 aces.
The Australian, 27, said he was trying to stay “in the moment”.
“I’m not thinking about lifting a trophy or making semi-finals or making the final,” he said. “I’m just thinking about my habits every day, just trying to put in a good performance on the court, then put in a good practice session, try to stay positive.
“You know, once I’m off the court, enjoy time with my team, my girlfriend, and just really enjoy that, then get into the game mode.”