World No.1 Rafael Nadal has continued his blistering start to the Australian Open, advancing to the round of 16 with victory over Bosnian 28th seed Damir Dzumhur.
The 16-time grand slam champion took just 22 minutes on Friday night to claim the first set on the way to a 6-1 6-3 6-1 triumph on Margaret Court Arena – his third straight-sets win of the tournament.
He will face 24th-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round as he continues his quest for a second Australian Open crown.
Outsized at 175cm, Dzumhur struggled with Nadal’s serve and fearsome forehand in the early going.
The Spaniard didn’t appear to be affected by his recent knee issues, covering the court well and dominating the longer rallies.
A one-way contest appeared to be on the cards but Dzumhur – the highest-ranked player to represent Bosnia – showed more fight than the scoreline suggested.
Desperate to claw his way back into the match, the 25-year-old had some success in dragging Nadal to the net.
But the top seed had too much firepower at his disposal, evening the ledger after retiring hurt during their only previous meeting in the second round of the 2016 Miami Open.
“There is some tough moments during the match but I think, in general terms, I should be very happy,” Nadal said.
“I went to the net a couple of times. Sometimes I did well; sometimes not so well. But that’s the way to try to play better.
“I need to go inside the court, go to the net and try to finish the points there because, when I make that well, my game improves a lot.”