By Chris Oddo | Thursday, August 11, 2015
Rafael Nadal notched his seventh consecutive win over Mikhail Youzhny to reach the Rogers Cup quarterfinals on Thursday.
Photo credit: Minos Panagiotakis/Getty
Rafael Nadal’s quest for his finest form continued in Montreal on Thursday, as the World No. 9 rolled past Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny for his seventh consecutive victory and 41st of 2015, 6-3, 6-3.
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Nadal, a three-time champion at the Rogers Cup, broke Youzhny’s serve twice in the opening set and once in the second while saving all three break points he faced to earn the victory in one hour and 41 minutes.
The victory improves Nadal’s record to 13-4 over Youzhny, and extends his winning streak against the 33-year-old to seven. Nadal hit 20 winners against 26 unforced errors, and while he struggled at times to find the range on his forehand and to convert second-serve points, he was strong enough to keep alive his bid to win a Masters title for an eleventh consecutive year.
The all-time leader in Masters 1000 titles with 27 should encounter a much stiffer test in Friday’s quarterfinals when he faces fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori.
Nishikori worked his way past World No. 14 David Goffin in the final match of the evening, 6-4, 6-4. Nadal leads the lifetime head-to-head with Nishikori 7-0.
In other early evening action at the Rogers Cup, defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga knocked off Bernard Tomic, 7-6(7), 6-3, while John Isner pounded his way past Nick Kyrgios, 7-5, 6-3.
In doubles action, No. 1-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan reached the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Feliciano Lopez and Max Myrni, while Andy Murray and Jamie Murray did battle for the first time at the ATP-level in doubles. Jamie, paired with John Peers, came away with the 6-4, 7-6(9) victory over Andy and Leander Paes.