It was a case of sweet revenge for top seed Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open on Thursday.
The world No.2 dismissed rising star Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-1, to seal a place in the last eight of the tournament. Nadal lost to Shapovalov last year in Montreal in the Canadian Masters. Next up for the Spaniard will be home favourite Fabio Fognini, who defeated Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk in straight sets.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev claimed his 11th consecutive win on the tour after edging his way past Kyle Edmund 7-5, 7-6(11). Setting him up with a showdown against Belgium’s David Goffin. Goffin progressed after his opponent, Juan Martin del Potro ,withdrew due to injury. Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic also secured their place in the last eight.
In the women’s section, Maria Sharapova is set to be seeded at the French Open following her latest win. The former world No.1 defeated Daria Gavrilova 6-3, 6-4, in her third round match. Sharapova will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the next round, who defeated Johanna Konta. Meanwhile, top seed Simona Halep was handed a walkover after Madison Keys withdrew due to injury.