• Nadal: Step above Carreño in three quick sets
  • Muguruza. He shoots Svitolina and is already in eighths

Rafael Nadal, world number one, qualified this Saturday for the round of 16 of the Australian Open by overwhelming his compatriot Pablo Carreño (30th) in three sets (6-1, 6-2, 6-4). There is Nick Kyrgios waiting for him, in a match full of morbidity.

The Australian later beat Karen Khachanov in an epic five-game match: 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8), 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (10/8) in four hours and 26 minutes. The Russian came to waste a match ball in the final super tie-break.

"Without a doubt, it was my best match of the tournament so far. There is a huge difference between today and the previous days," said the Mallorcan tennis player, who seeks in Melbourne to get his 20th Grand Slam title to match the record. of trophies in this category of his great rival Roger Federer.

Nadal already talked about the possibility of having to play against Kyrgios in the next round and recalled his low affinity with the always controversial player , known for his volcanic temperament and his high-sounding statements. "When he is willing to play his best tennis and plays with passion, he is part of the players who add a plus to our circuit. But when he does his own, of course I don't like that," he said.

After his victory on Saturday, Nadal also said he could see "almost everything" the game Federer played on the eve, the duel in which the Swiss veteran was close to being eliminated and could only win John Millman in the super tie break of the fifth set, after four hours of game. That duel ended on Friday night to Saturday, in Australian time.

"I asked for room service. I ended up eating very late, so I decided to stay in the room. I was watching series alternating it with the game. But I watched most of the game," Rafa said. "Millman played a good game. Roger, in my opinion, had ups and downs," he analyzed. "Everything can happen, but Federer is Federer, " he said.

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