Rafael Nadal secured his 250th win at the grand slam by thrashing the young Australian, Alex de Minaur with a decisive 6-1 6-2 6-4 defeat of at Rod Laver Arena.
Nadal has been able to beat the 19-year-old on each occasion that he played his heart and is comfortable as he is to face Tomas Berdych in the next stage.
The contest was one-sided as De Minaur was broken to love for 4-1 as he found the net in front of a now muted home crowd, allowing Nadal to go on to take a two-set lead.
Having made Nadal work hard for his breakthrough in the first two sets, De Minaur folded early in the third and immediately lost his serve, evidently tiring as he was worked back and forth across the court.
A hold to love gave the Australian fans some encouragement and De Minaur continued to fight to prolong the match, but Nadal never looked like letting his advantage slip.
Total
Nadal – 105
De Minaur – 76
