Madrid: Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal stretched his perfect start to the European claycourt season to 11 matches with a routine 6-3, 6-3 win over Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov to reach round three of the Madrid Masters on Tuesday.
Defending champion Andy Murray began his defence of the title with a 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-1 win over 37-year-old Czech Radek Stepanek to remain on course for a semi-final meeting with Nadal.
Fresh from victories in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal will continue his quest for a fifth title in Madrid against American Sam Querrey or France’s Lucas Pouille on Thursday.
The Spaniard raced into a 3-0 first-set lead and one break was enough to seal the set as he staved off break points in the fourth game.
Kuznetsov made a more positive start to the second to lead 3-2, but was blown away as Nadal, ominously for his rivals later in the week, found his rhythm to win the last four games.
Nadal’s path to the final was eased as his potential quarter-final opponent Roger Federer withdrew due to a back injury on Monday.
However, he could face Murray in the last four in a repeat of last year’s final.
Murray needed three sets to overcome Stepanek, but eventually got the job done in just under two-and-a-half hours on court.
Eleventh seed Milos Raonic also booked his place in the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 win over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic begins his campaign after a three-year absence in Madrid on Wednesday against Borna Coric.
In Melbourne, Bernard Tomic’s on-court commitment has come under renewed scrutiny after the Australian played match-point holding his racquet backwards in defeat to Fabio Fognini at the Madrid Open.
Tomic, down 0-40 as Italian Fognini sought to serve out the match at 6-2 5-4, held his racquet by the head with the handle pointing forward and barely moved as his opponent fired an ace past him to seal the win.
News of the stunt triggered a storm of criticism in his home country and on social media from tennis pundits.
“Bernard Tomic has stated before he believes he is a top 10 player, but he won’t be top 10 in anyone’s books with continued displays of petulance like this,” News Ltd media said.
World No. 22 Tomic was nicknamed ‘Tomic the Tank Engine’ after accusations he ‘tanked’ — or failed to try his best — in a loss to Andy Roddick at the 2012 US Open.
