He will have dominated his opponent.
Rafael Nadal, 4th in the world, won this Monday, July 4 against the Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp (6-4, 6-2, 7-6).
The king of clay is taking his ease on the grass at Wimbledon, since he has just completed his second match in a row without losing a set.
"I'm continuing on the right path.
It's a very positive match against a very good opponent who has improved a lot,” commented Nadal after his victory.
In the next round, the opponent should be even tougher.
Nadal faces the American Taylor Fritz, 14th in the world.
“We are in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon so what else can we expect?
“, he wondered, aware of the path he still has to go if he wants to win the third Wimbledon of his career this year.
Rafa rolls into the quarter-finals 💪
The Spaniard secures a straight sets victory over Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(6)#Wimbledon |
#CentreCourt100 |
@RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/Sq0SovkdoB
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2022
For Nick Kyrgios, 40th in the world, the evening was much longer.
After having eliminated Stéfanos Tsitsipás at the end of a round of 16 under high tension, the Australian defeated the American Brandon Nakashima in difficulty (4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2).
He was able to rely on a very good first serve (35 aces) and had to overcome muscle pain in his right shoulder.
"I didn't feel the ball as well as against Tsitsipás or Krajinovic.
I knew I had to put my head down and fight.
I put in a good performance mentally,” he explained.
Need a tall glass of wine
“His level has never dropped, but my level in five-set matches is quite good (…) I have never lost in five sets here”, added Nick Kyrgios, happy with his performance even if he admits need a "big glass of wine" after your effort.
Qualified for the quarter-finals, the whimsical Australian will challenge Christian Garin (43rd in the world).
The Chilean brought down the number 19 seed, Alex De Minaur, after more than 4h30 of play in the previous round (2-6, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6).