Rafa Nadal d&nbsp;Leonardo Mayer,&nbsp;6-3 6-4 7-6 (4)

Top seed Rafa Nadal continued his marauding path through the Australian Open, hammering Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) in&nbsp;two hours and 38 minutes to reach the third round on Wednesday.

A masterful performance was blighted only by a late wobble when Nadal was broken serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider.

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&ldquo;For my team and my family, this tournament is their favourite of the year so I want to stay as long as possible.&rdquo; 
 
- <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RafaelNadal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/PpeoQynXNN">pic.twitter.com/PpeoQynXNN</a>
&mdash; #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/953546024164864000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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But the Spaniard found an extra gear in the tiebreak, wrapping up the match with a monster serve to the corner that Mayer battled to get a racket to.

Nadal&#39;s bid for a 17th grand slam title continues against Bosnian 28th seed Damir Dzumhur.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RafaelNadal</a> was very thankful of the <a href="https://twitter.com/RodLaverArena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RodLaverArena</a> crowd support in his post-match interview.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/fWyXbaxOMu">pic.twitter.com/fWyXbaxOMu</a>
&mdash; #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/953545182741327872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Marin Cilic d&nbsp;Joao Sousa,&nbsp;6-1, 7-5, 6-2

Croatia&#39;s sixth seed Marin Cilic advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with a straight-sets win over Portugal&#39;s Joao Sousa on Wednesday.

Cilic, last year&#39;s Wimbledon finalist, downed the 70th-ranked Sousa 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 and will next play either American Ryan Harrison or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

&nbsp;

Croatia's sixth seed Marin Cilic advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with a straight-sets

Rafa Nadal d Leonardo Mayer, 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) Top seed Rafa Nadal continued his marauding path through the Australian Open, hammering Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) in two hours and 38 minutes to reach the third round on Wednesday. A masterful performance was blighted only by a late wobble when Nadal was broken serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider. “For my team and my family, this tournament is their favourite of the year so I want to stay as long as possible.” - @RafaelNadal #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/PpeoQynXNN — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2018 × But the Spaniard found an extra gear in the tiebreak, wrapping up the match with a monster serve to the corner that Mayer battled to get a racket to. Nadal's bid for a 17th grand slam title continues against Bosnian 28th seed Damir Dzumhur. .@RafaelNadal was very thankful of the @RodLaverArena crowd support in his post-match interview.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/fWyXbaxOMu — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2018 × Marin Cilic d Joao Sousa, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 Croatia's sixth seed Marin Cilic advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with a straight-sets win over Portugal's Joao Sousa on Wednesday. Cilic, last year's Wimbledon finalist, downed the 70th-ranked Sousa 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 and will next play either American Ryan Harrison or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

Australian Open: Rafa Nadal storms to third round, so as Marin Cilic

Nine-time champion Rafa Nadal is back in action as he takes on fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals, with a possible last-four meeting with Novak Djokovic looming.

While fourth seed Nadal, playing one of his best Roland Garros, is expected to overwhelm his compatriot on Court Philippe Chatrier, defending champion Novak Djokovic can expect tougher opposition against Austrian Dominic Thiem, the sixth seed.

Both matches were rescheduled after rain disrupted Tuesday&#39;s programme. No rain is expected on Wednesday although the wind could be a factor.

World number one Andy Murray, who has been improving since arriving in Paris, takes on Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori, who was handed his first grand-slam bagel in six years in the third round.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka will be the clear favourite when he takes on Marin Cilic as the top four looks set for a semi-final reunion.

The women&#39;s draw is side open and Caroline Garcia will hope to become the first French woman to reach the semi-finals since Marion Bartoli in 2011 when she faces world number three Karolina Pliskova.

In a match dubbed &#39;the final before the final&#39;, Romanian Simona Halep plays Ukraine&#39;s Elina Svitolina.

(Reuters)

Djokovic and Nadal are each one win away from meeting in the finals, but Novak has a tougher draw

Nine-time champion Rafa Nadal is back in action as he takes on fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals, with a possible last-four meeting with Novak Djokovic looming. While fourth seed Nadal, playing one of his best Roland Garros, is expected to overwhelm his compatriot on Court Philippe Chatrier, defending champion Novak Djokovic can expect tougher opposition against Austrian Dominic Thiem, the sixth seed. Both matches were rescheduled after rain disrupted Tuesday's programme. No rain is expected on Wednesday although the wind could be a factor. World number one Andy Murray, who has been improving since arriving in Paris, takes on Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori, who was handed his first grand-slam bagel in six years in the third round. Former champion Stan Wawrinka will be the clear favourite when he takes on Marin Cilic as the top four looks set for a semi-final reunion. The women's draw is side open and Caroline Garcia will hope to become the first French woman to reach the semi-finals since Marion Bartoli in 2011 when she faces world number three Karolina Pliskova. In a match dubbed 'the final before the final', Romanian Simona Halep plays Ukraine's Elina Svitolina. (Reuters)

Ominous Nadal back on court in Paris

Rafa Nadal celebrated his 1,000th tour-level match with a come-from-behind victory over German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open on Sunday.

World number 31 Kohlschreiber was on fire early, ripping through the first set in only 21 minutes but fifth seed Nadal flipped the switch and turned the match on its head to prevail 0-6 6-2 6-3 on the main stadium hard court at Crandon Park.

It was the first time Nadal had failed to win a game in the first set of an ATP tour match since 2008, the ATP said.

The 30-year-old Spaniard ignited the near-capacity crowd with a typically determined comeback to clinch his 822nd career victory.

He joins a small group of 11 players headed by Jimmy Connors (1,535) to have played at least 1,000 matches.

&quot;One thousand matches is a lot of matches. Obviously, that&#39;s good news because that says I am having a long career,&quot; Nadal told reporters.

&quot;During a lot of years, I heard that I&#39;m going to have a short career, so it&#39;s something important for me. I remember the first match very well because it was at home in Mallorca. It was my first victory on the ATP and was a great feeling.&quot;

Nadal said he had not done much wrong in the first set against an opponent who was in the zone.

&quot;He was doing everything good, so that&#39;s sport. I lose the set because he was playing too good. That&#39;s it.

&quot;But a match is long and the positive thing is I held the pressure well this afternoon after a very tough first set. I resisted well in the first few games of the second set and then I think I played a great second and third set.&quot;

While Nadal played in the relative comfort of the late afternoon, Kei Nishikori also took three sets and nearly three hours to advance under a high noon sun, outlasting Spain&#39;s Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2) 6-7(5) 6-1.

Nishikori, the runner-up to Novak Djokovic last year, fired 37 winners but Verdasco, aided by persistent swirling winds, used his varying pace and depth to rattle Japan&#39;s number one, inducing 48 unforced errors.

Milos Raonic withdrew before his match against American qualifier Jared Donaldson, blaming a persistent hamstring injury.

&quot;It&#39;s related to the previous injury I sustained almost four weeks ago... in Delray Beach,&quot; the Canadian told reporters.

Raonic said he would not return to the tour until he felt 100 per cent fit.

&quot;That could be in two weeks, that could be a little bit longer.&quot;

(Reuters)

The 30-year-old Spaniard ignited the near-capacity crowd with a typically determined comeback to clinch his 822nd career victory

Rafa Nadal celebrated his 1,000th tour-level match with a come-from-behind victory over German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open on Sunday. World number 31 Kohlschreiber was on fire early, ripping through the first set in only 21 minutes but fifth seed Nadal flipped the switch and turned the match on its head to prevail 0-6 6-2 6-3 on the main stadium hard court at Crandon Park. It was the first time Nadal had failed to win a game in the first set of an ATP tour match since 2008, the ATP said. The 30-year-old Spaniard ignited the near-capacity crowd with a typically determined comeback to clinch his 822nd career victory. He joins a small group of 11 players headed by Jimmy Connors (1,535) to have played at least 1,000 matches. "One thousand matches is a lot of matches. Obviously, that's good news because that says I am having a long career," Nadal told reporters. "During a lot of years, I heard that I'm going to have a short career, so it's something important for me. I remember the first match very well because it was at home in Mallorca. It was my first victory on the ATP and was a great feeling." Nadal said he had not done much wrong in the first set against an opponent who was in the zone. "He was doing everything good, so that's sport. I lose the set because he was playing too good. That's it. "But a match is long and the positive thing is I held the pressure well this afternoon after a very tough first set. I resisted well in the first few games of the second set and then I think I played a great second and third set." While Nadal played in the relative comfort of the late afternoon, Kei Nishikori also took three sets and nearly three hours to advance under a high noon sun, outlasting Spain's Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2) 6-7(5) 6-1. Nishikori, the runner-up to Novak Djokovic last year, fired 37 winners but Verdasco, aided by persistent swirling winds, used his varying pace and depth to rattle Japan's number one, inducing 48 unforced errors. Milos Raonic withdrew before his match against American qualifier Jared Donaldson, blaming a persistent hamstring injury. "It's related to the previous injury I sustained almost four weeks ago... in Delray Beach," the Canadian told reporters. Raonic said he would not return to the tour until he felt 100 per cent fit. "That could be in two weeks, that could be a little bit longer." (Reuters)

Miami Open: Nadal wins in 1000th match, Raonic withdraws

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Australian Open: Rafa Nadal storms to third round, so as Marin Cilic

Ominous Nadal back on court in Paris

Miami Open: Nadal wins in 1000th match, Raonic withdraws