Rafael Nadal’s comeback from a long injury layoff continued Thursday as the Spanish star cruised into the Brisbane International quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win against home favorite Jason Kubler of Australia. Nadal, 37, saved all four break points and finished with 20 winners and only eight unforced errors in the 83-minute victory over the 63rd-ranked local player. In his first tournament in nearly 12 months, the two-time Grand Slam champion showed plenty left to offer at the hard-court ATP 250 event, which serves as a tuneup for next month’s Australian Open.
Nadal started quickly and led 5-0 in the first set before Kubler could hold serve inside Pat Rafter Arena. The Spaniard wrapped up the opener in 1hr 23min and stayed on course for a possible semi-final against second seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who defeated Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-1, 6-2.
Dimitrov, 19, broke in the second game of the second set and never looked back as he dominated his match against the world number 102. The Bulgarian, who won the first two straight sets, was rock solid on his serve and recorded 13 aces in the contest. He racked up 20 winners, including some ripping forehands, while making only eight unforced errors.
In other action, Australia’s Jordan Thompson advanced in a walkover courtesy of French fourth-seed Ugo Humbert’s withdrawal before his match with the Aussie wild card on Thursday. Thompson, ranked No 55, will face the winner of Nadal’s quarterfinal against Kubler.
Meanwhile, Latvian Jelena Ostapenko ended Karolina Pliskova’s hopes of defending her Brisbane title with a 7-5, 6-2 win against the Czech sixth seed. The 2017 French Open champion swept the first two sets, only to see Pliskova fight back and take the final three, but Ostapenko was too strong in the decider.
Victoria Azarenka also reached the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International for the fifth time in six trips, defeating French qualifier Clara Burel 7-5, 6-2. Azarenka, a two-time former world No. 1, will play third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, who thrashed big-serving three-time Brisbane winner Pliskova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
