Rafael Nadal sets record in the Mutua Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal defeated Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3 and 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, surpassing John McEnroe's record of 49 consecutive sets won in 1984, although McEnroe achieved this on a carpet court.
More accurate than in the previous match against Frenchman Gael Monfils, Nadal used his power from the back of the court to dismantle "El Peque's" defense and defeat him for the fifth time, and the second time this year (Australian Open).
Nadal only lost his serve once against Juan Ignacio Chela's disciple (eighth game of the second set), when the Argentine showed his skills with a powerful cross-court backhand to put pressure on the five-time winner of this tournament.
But last year's US Open quarterfinalist couldn't maintain that momentum and lost his serve in the ninth game of that set against Nadal's tenacity. Nadal confirmed his victory in one hour and 44 minutes.
With Schwartzman out of the way, Nadal will face Austrian Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals. Nadal defeated Thiem in last year's final at the Caja Mágica, and then again in the semifinals of Roland Garros. A few weeks ago, Nadal inflicted a heavy defeat on Thiem in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals: 6-0 and 6-2.
Thiem defeated Croatian Borna Coric in the round of 16, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Rafael Nadal to play against Diego Schwartzman
Rafael Nadal will play today (1:00 p.m. live online on ESPN) in the round of 16 against Argentine Diego Schwartzman, who defeated Spaniard Feliciano López 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
Nadal easily defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils (6-3, 6-1) on Wednesday in his first match this year at the Mutua Madrid Open, where Serbian Novak Djokovic was eliminated after losing 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to British player Kyle Edmund.
Nadal broke Monfils' serve, who hadn't competed since his withdrawal in Indian Wells in early March, at the start of each set and controlled the situation well, sealing his passage to the round of 16 in one hour and fifteen minutes.
After winning both the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 and the Barcelona Open for the eleventh time, Nadal has now won twenty consecutive matches on clay without losing.
"What satisfies me the most is being recovered from my psoas injury," said Nadal, who was away from the circuit for almost three months after his withdrawal in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open at the end of January.