Nadal, Kyrgios reach quarterfinals at Wimbledon

London, Jul 4 (EFE).- Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat Holland’s No. 21 seeded Botic van de Zandschulp at the Wimbledon tennis tourney in London on Monday, advancing to the quarterfinals, and Australia’s Nick Kygios managed to fend off a strong challenge from Brandon Nakashima, from the United States, although it took him five sets to do so and move up to the quarterfinals.

Nadal, seeded No. 2, prevailed over Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2 and 7-6 (6), while Kyrgios lost the first set but hung on to beat out his 20-year-old US rival in a very evenly matched contest 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 3-6 and 6-2.

Nadal is looking for his 23rd Grand Slam victory, and things were going swimmingly for him until the third set, with him up 5-3. It was then that the Dutchman broke the Spaniard’s serve for the second time during the contest and then Nadal failed to secure three straight match points while out in front 6-3, resulting in the tiebreaker where he ultimately prevailed.

It was Kyrgios’s first Wimbledon quarterfinal berth since 2014 and he had to fight his way through a shoulder injury during the match but nevertheless played fabulous tennis to take a third-set tiebreaker and then prevail in the deciding fifth set.

He had to receive treatment for his shoulder twice during the match and had his service broken twice in the fourth set but, even so, wracked up 35 aces.

In other men’s action at Wimbledon, No. 11 seeded American Taylor Fritz defeated Jason Kubler 6-3, 6-1 and 6-4, while Chile’s unseeded Cristian Garin also staged a magnificent comeback to beat Australia’s Alex de Minaur 2-6, 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4 and 7-6(6), in another nail-biter that took four hours and 34 minutes to complete.

Fritz and Garin now both move to the quarterfinals, where they will go up against Nadal and Kyrgios, respectively.

Nadal lost to Fritz in the Mexican Open final back in April.

Meanwhile, in women’s action, Romania’s No. 16 Simona Halep defeated No. 4 Paula Badosa, of Spain, 6-1, 6-2.

EFE –/bp