Rafael Nadal survives Goffin scare to set up potential Carlos Alcaraz Madrid quarter-final

A third overhead set up a fourth match point for the former world No 7, once again saved by Nadal with a drop shot. He roared again when setting up another match point of his own at 10-9 and this time managed to clinch the mini-break and close out a 6-3 5-7 7-6(9) victory after more than three hours.

It means Nadal reaches the 99th Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career, where he will next face the winner of tonight’s third-round match between Carlos Alcaraz and Cam Norrie. He faced the young Spaniard exactly a year ago in the second round, on what was Alcaraz’s 18th birthday. The current world No 9 was making his Masters 1000 debut as a wildcard in Madrid last year, getting his first win at Masters level in the opening round against Adrian Mannarino before losing 6-1 6-2 to his elder compatriot.

A year later, he returns in Madrid as one of the favourites for the title with four titles under his belt, three of them coming this year which includes his maiden Masters title in Miami. The 19-year-old is also fresh off the back of his top 10 debut after winning the Barcelona Open, achieving both feats exactly 17 years to the day since a then-18-year-old Nadal won the first of his 12 Barcelona Open titles and broke into the top 10 for the first time, which he hasn’t dropped out of ever since.