Nadal eases into last eight

Rafael Nadal had little trouble moving into the quarter-finals as the top seed saw off Fernando Gonzalez in straight sets 6-3 6-2 6-4.

Nadal took the upper hand early in the fourth-round contest when he broke Gonzalez in his first service game to take a 2-0 lead. The 13th seed broke back at 3-2 but then an unforced error once again gave his serve away and Nadal closed out the set.

The Spaniard then established a 3-1 advantage in the second and broke Gonzalez for a second time on his way to claiming the set 6-2 and a 2-0 lead.

The Chilean had three break points on Nadal’s opening service game but the top seed fought back to deuce. However, a rare error saw him find the net with a return and Gonzalez was handed a crucial advantage.

It was swiftly cancelled out, however, as Nadal drew level at 3-3 and then converted the second of three break points with a sumptuous forehand as the end appeared to be drawing ever closer for a tiring Gonzalez.

And Nadal duly wrapped up victory when Gonzalez hit a forehand beyond the baseline.