Rafael Nadal has grabbed a spot in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after overcoming Nicolas Mahut in straight sets.
The Spaniard, who has never won the competition, claimed a 6-4 7-6(4) victory over the Frenchman in one hour and 36 minutes.
The first set was comfortably executed by Nadal as he required just the one break point to take the lead, but he was pushed harder in the second.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion failed to create a single break point, and the same was true of his opponent as a tie-break was needed to separate the pair.
Mahut took a 2-1 lead after snatching Nadal’s serve, but the world number seven broke three times to seal the decider 7-4 and progress into the next round.
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