Rafael Nadal, who is chasing a record 21st Grand Slam title, will face either Greek fifth seed in the last eight while Andrey Rublev joins Daniil Medvedev and qualifier Aslan Karatsev in the quarter-finals in the same Grand Slam
Monday 15 February 2021 17:26, UK
Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title after sweeping aside Fabio Fognini to reach his 13th Australian Open quarter-final on Monday.
World No 2 Nadal dominated flamboyant Italian Fognini to reach a 43rd Grand Slam quarter-final and move ever closer to overtaking Roger Federer for a 21st slam trophy.
Nadal came into the tournament with a back injury but declared after his third-round win over Cameron Norrie that it had finally started to improve.
He has now reached the last eight without dropping a set.
Fognini, who came from two sets down to beat Nadal at the US Open in 2015, led by a break in the second set but lacked the discipline to really challenge the second seed, who eased to a 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory.
Nadal will play Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the quarter-finals after Italian ninth seed Matteo Berrettini was forced to withdraw from his match against the Greek with an abdominal strain.
Berrettini suffered the injury during his win against Russian Karen Khachanov in the third round.
Nadal has not dropped a set at a slam since losing in the quarter-finals in Melbourne last year to Dominic Thiem.
He said: "The first set without a doubt has been my best level in the tournament. It's normal, too, because I was able to practise for two days in a row. That makes an important difference.
"But, at the same time, it's important to find positive feelings now. My physical condition needs to keep improving. But I think this match helps, too."
He has won six of his previous seven meetings with Tsitsipas, including brutally in Melbourne two years ago, and he is excited for the clash.
He said: "Things in sports change quick. Sometimes you feel that you are so-so, then you win a couple of matches and then you feel the best possible.
"I was able to win the four matches already here, so now I'm going to have a very tough opponent in front. I need to play my best. Let's see if I am able to do it.
"I'm excited about playing that quarter-finals match. If we compare how I was five days ago and how I am in today's situation, it's different, and my perspective and excitement is completely different, too."
Daniil Medvedev brushed aside Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-2 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time and extend his winning streak to 18 matches.
The fourth-seeded Russian needed just one hour and 29 minutes to progress, ending McDonald's remarkable run less than two years after a career-threatening hamstring injury, and set up a last-eight meeting with his compatriot and good friend Andrey Rublev.
Medvedev said in his on-court interview: "It was a great match - I was hitting the ball great, I was serving great and I finished in one-thirty which is important because in the late stages of a Grand Slam you want to make fast matches."
Medvedev's winning streak includes victories over Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, and titles at the ATP Finals, Paris Masters and most recently the ATP Cup as a mainstay of the Russian team.
Rublev, the seventh seed, cruised through the first set against Norway's Casper Ruud but was made to fight for the second, in which Ruud served for the set at 5-3.
However with Rublev leading 6-2 7-6 (7-3), Ruud, who had briefly received treatment midway through the second set, abruptly announced his retirement from the match.
A third Russian, qualifier Aslan Karatsev will play Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the last four on Tuesday.
"It's great for our sport," said Medvedev. "We are both, with Andrey, really happy for Aslan, because he was practising good in ATP Cup. We felt like he could do something amazing.
"To be honest, being in your first grand slam main draw and making quarters is something exceptional. He's not over yet. Let's see how he does tomorrow."
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