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Nadal cruises past Hanfmann into Australian Open 3rd round

Melbourne, Australia, Jan 19 (EFE).- Spain’s Rafael Nadal, seeded 6th in the men’s draw, delivered an impeccable performance to cruise past German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

“Having played him before at Roland Garros I knew that he is dangerous,” Nadal said after the two hour 42-minute match.

“His result against Thanasi [Kokkinakis] in the first round says that he is playing great and coming from the qualies he was used to the courts. He has big shots, a good serve and has a lot of potential. Today his level was much higher than his ranking says.”

When asked by Channel 9 commentator Jim Courier how he maintained his physique, Nadal replied that he played a “little golf.”

“I never have been a gym guy, you know. I am not a big fan of the gym. I am more a fan of playing sports, different sports,” he added.

His third round opponent will be the winner of the clash between Russia’s Karen Khachanov and Benjamin Bonzi of France.

Nadal has a 7-0 head to head record against Khachanov and has yet to play against Bonzi.

Nadal’s second round win included 29 winners and 25 unforced errors and was his fourth consecutive victory of the year, which began on a winning note with the Melbourne Summer Set title.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion is chasing a second Australian Open title and aiming to become the first male player to win 21 Grand Slam titles. EFE

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