Nadal through to quarters

Beijing : World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is through to the quarter-finals of the China Open after defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3 yesterday in Beijing.

The Spaniard is bidding to win his second China Open title, following victory on his debut in 2005.

Nadal is also looking to boost his lead over Roger Federer in the battle to finish year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Yesterday’s win hands him another 45 points, which extends his lead over his Swiss rival to 1,950 points in the year-to-date standings. Federer returns to action at next week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters, where 1,000 points are awarded to the winner.

Nadal defeated #NextGenATP Khachanov for the second time this year as he saved the six break points he faced. The left-hander, in turn, broke Khachanov three times to prevail in 89 minutes. Nadal leads the ATP World Tour with 58 match wins in 2017 and is chasing his sixth tour-level crown in what has been an outstanding season, featuring two major titles at Roland Garros and the US Open and two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Monte-Carlo and Madrid.