MONTE CARLO, Monaco: Rafael Nadal dug deep against Dominic Thiem at the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday reaching the quarter-finals with a thumping 7-5, 6-3 victory.
The eight-time champion was beaten by Thiem on clay two months back in Buenos Aires semi-finals.
The 22-year-old Austrian once again posed a big threat to the fifth-seeded Spaniard. He went up an early break, but relinquished it in the sixth game.
Thiem was ultimately made to rue missing 15 of 16 break points in the 81-minute first set, which included a 15-minute, 50-second service game for Nadal at 4-4.
Nadal then broke Thiem in the 12th game to seal the opener.
Thiem responded well in the second set and again engineered an early break advantage, but Nadal immediately levelled in the fourth game and would break Thiem again in the eighth game before serving out victory in just over two hours.
Thiem, a five-time ATP World Tour title winner, drops to a 26-7 match record on the season. He was the form player on tour in February, capturing titles in Buenos Aires and Acapulco and reaching the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro.
Nadal sets a quarter-final clash with 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka, who raced past world No 15 Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-2 in 82 minutes.
Wawrinka termed the match his best for a long time.
“On my side it was an excellent match, a lot better than yesterday,” said Wawrinka.
“From the start I was very strict with myself. I had to keep my tactics, be patient, attack him whenever I had the opportunity.
“My concentration was very good. This is important against Gilles. From the start I needed to dominate and be very present on the court. I succeeded in doing that.”
Nadal has a 14-3 record against Wawrinka, but it was Wawrinka who won their last clay-court meeting, in the Rome quarter-finals last year. The Swiss captured his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at the Monte Carlo Country Club two years ago, beating Roger Federer in the final.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer’s comeback from knee surgery appeared to be on the right track after he cruised to a routine win over Roberto Bautista Agut.
The world No 3 is playing in his first tournament since the Australian Open after injuring his knee earlier this year.
Backing up his opening victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Federer swatted aside the challenge of 14th seed Bautista Agut in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Joining Federer in the last eight are a host of big names looking to capitalise on the early exit of world No 1 Novak Djokovic, who was beaten in three sets by the little-known Jiri Vesely on Wednesday.
Among them were Nadal and Andy Murray, who came from a set and a break down to beat Benoit Paire.
World No 2 Murray eventually outlasted his French opponent Paire to earn a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory and a last eight clash with Milos Raonic.
“Paire played extremely well and I was a little slow. It was the first time that I had played him,” Murray told reporters after his victory.
“He has a difficult game to work out. Maybe today was a little lucky, but I was potentially a little unlucky in the last couple of tournaments.” Raonic saw off Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5) to claim his spot in the quarter-finals.
