MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan 23 (EFE) -- Rafael Nadal on Sunday advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after a tough first set against Adrian Mannarino and faced Denis Shapovalov, who upset Alexander Zverev.
The Spaniard had to hold off the only break point he scored in the first half and then fight through the tiebreaker of the first set of the marathon, but then reached 7-6 (16-14), 6-2, 6-2.
"The first set was very emotional," Nadal said after the match of two hours and 40 minutes. Roger Federer holds the record for playing most last-8 matches with 15.
"Anything can happen there. I was a little lucky in the end. I had chances, but he still had plenty of opportunities."
After winning the first set that lasted one hour and 21 minutes, Nadal claimed two service breaks to double his lead.
Although Nadal dropped his serve once in the third set, he broke the Frenchman's serve three times to keep his bid for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title alive.
Next up for the 35-year-old will be Shapovalov, who made the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating third seed Zverev in straight sets.
Shapovalov became the third Canadian to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory.
"I'm happy to win again today," Shapovalov said after the match, which lasted two hours and 21 minutes.
The German saw a first set slip out of his hands as he dropped his serve in the fourth game and three tiebreaks paid off for unforced errors that spoiled his 2–0 comeback in the second set.
Shapovalov took a 3–0 lead in the third set, which proved decisive in the quarterfinal match against Nadal.
"It's always an honor to go up against someone like Rafa," said Shapovalov, who went 3-1 in a one-on-one record against the Spaniard.
"It's always going to be fun, it's always going to be a fight against him and yes, it's going to be a tough one, definitely going to enjoy it," he said.
Italy's Matteo Berrettini defeated seventh seed Pablo Carreno of Spain 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 to enter the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time.
Berrettini will face Frenchman Gael Monfils, who is aiming to play his first Grand Slam semi-final since the 2016 US Open. EFE