Rampant Rafael Nadal thrashed veteran Tomas Berdych in straight sets to enter the quarter-finals of Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday.
Nadal, 32, dominated his Czech rival by winning the first nine straight games and continued to keep his foot on the former world number four's throat to win in two hours and five minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
But there was some drama in the third set with unseeded Berdych forcing a tie-breaker and also complaining to the chair umpire against Nadal for taking too much time between points.
Despite a late fightback from the 33-year-old Czech, Nadal won the match 6-0, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who had foot surgery during the off-season, next faces Frances Tiafoe. The 21-year-old American defeated 20th seed Grigor Dimitrov in four sets 7-5, 7-6(6), (1)6-7, 7-5 to celebrate his birthday in a giant-killing mode.
Nadal, 32, is aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slam title twice. He won the season-opening Slam in 2009.
He limped out of last year's Australian Open at the quarter-final stage, cut short his 2018 season to have surgery on a foot injury and pulled out of his Brisbane warm-up with a thigh niggle.
