Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal sees off Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets to seal quarter-final spot

Rafael Nadal survived a late fightback to move into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon following a 6-4 6-2 7-6(6) win over Botic van de Zandschulp. Van de Zandschulp was ranked 57 last year as he broke the top 100, but his quarter-final run at the US Open has lifted him to a career-high 25.

Ad/> The 26-year-old Dutchman was playing to reach the same stage at SW19, having beaten experienced Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the weekend. WimbledonWimbledon order of play, Day 9 — When are Djokovic, Norrie, and Jabeur playing?7 HOURS AGO Nadal, for his part, had beaten Italian youngster Lorenzo Sonego to face his opponent and the Spaniard was looking to add yet another Grand Slam win to his resume.

The pair were well matched with the opening stages going with service at 3-3 after half an hour’s play, in slightly cooler weather on Centre Court compared to earlier action. A wicked return down the line from Van de Zandschulp showed Nadal that he could not take his younger opponent lightly, but he responded by swiftly putting the game away.

Kyrgios survives Nakashima scare in five-set battle to reach quarter-final 'Very, very difficult to beat Novak' — Expert view: Can Sinner down Djokovic? Dominant Halep breezes past Badosa into quarter-finals A mistake at the net gave Nadal a chance to ramp up the pressure and break him to go a decisive 6-4 up in the first set. Nadal then broke early to go 2-0 up and carried on his momentum to a 4-1 lead, with Van de Zandschulp struggling with his service game — three double faults after two sets — and he promptly lost the second set 6-2.