Rafael Nadal survived a tough first set to earn a straight sets win against Jannik Sinner and reach the quarter-finals of the 2021 French Open.
The No. 3 seed defeated the 19-year-old Italian 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
The 35-year-old Spaniard broke the No. 18 seed when he served for the opening set at 5-4, and lost just three more games as he cruised to victory.
“It’s always a pleasure to be back on this court Philippe Chatrier and play in front of you. I played a very good opponent today,” Nadal said in an on-court interview.
“I started playing well the first couple of games, then I think played a little bit too defensive for a few games. So, I gave him the chance to go inside the court and play with his best shots. That was a mistake.
“I was lucky that I had the chance to have the break back at 5-4, and after this the match changed a lot. The second set I started playing great. But after that I think I played a great level of tennis, so very happy for that.”
Nadal will face 10th seed Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals.
