Rafael Nadal races through fourth-round clash to keep calendar slam bid on track

Rafael Nadal eased into the quarter-finals of Wimbledon following another straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

The 36-year-old had defeated the 21st seed on his way to the French Open title last month and repeated the trick in SW19 with an efficient 6-4 6-2 7-6 (6) victory.

Success over the Dutchman in two hours and 21 minutes saw proceedings on Centre Court end comfortably before the 11pm curfew that almost left defending champion Novak Djokovic in limbo on Sunday, with the roof not even required as the Spaniard stayed on course for a calendar year grand slam.

The 22-time major winner needed more than three-and-a-half hours to win his first-round tie but had grown into the tournament with each contest.

It was the bounce of the balls that caused some initial problems for Nadal and saw him have an early chat with the umpire, before Van de Zandschulp tried in vain to turn this into a close contest.

A wonderful forehand winner on the run earned applause from the Centre Court crowd but it was all too fleeting for the Dutchman, who was broken in the decisive 10th game of the opening set at the second time of asking.

Five games in a row saw Nadal grasp control of this clash and a delightful drop shot clinched another break, with a third handed over after a double-fault by Van de Zandschulp.

It had taken the double-Wimbledon champion just over two hours to see off Lorenzo Sonego in round two but his eagerness for a rapid finish here hit a speed bump.

While Van de Zandschulp’s early break was immediately cancelled out, Nadal’s animated punches of the air after he stooped low to make a brilliant backhand winner were short-lived.

The world number 25 hit back from 5-2 down to force a tie-breaker, after both players had