It took the Spanish world No 2 more than two hours to navigate his opening match against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori last week. But in a repeat of last year’s final against Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz effectively secured victory in 11 minutes and four seconds, the time it took for him to snatch an early lead as the Olympic champion screwed a forehand wide to concede the first break.

Admittedly the match still had more than an hour left to run at that stage, but it was Alcaraz’s intensity and opportunism, after Zverev had twice double-faulted, that created the platform for the dominant victory that followed. 

All the same, it was hard to know what to make of the 19-year-old’s 6-1, 6-2 win. On the one hand, he is looking more assured with each passing round. Having struggled to get past Ruusuvuori, Alcaraz delivered a more accomplished performance to see off Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. His dismissal of Zverev was ruthlessly efficient. 

Yet the contest was also notable for the relative absence of the kind of highlights-reel moments that so often define Alcaraz’s best performances. Aside from a stunning backhand winner and some sudden and violent injections of extra pace on the forehand, Alcaraz was more often solid than spectacular. Was that down to excellence on his part, or a below-par showing from Zverev? Probably a little of both, although Alcaraz was understandably delighted with the result, describing his display as one of the best of his career. 

“For me, it’s amazing to play the level that I played today,” said the US Open champion, who will face Karen Khachanov for a place in the last four on Wednesday. 

“It’s been a question mark for me. This result doesn’t [feel] normal for me. 

“I just want to enjoy playing here in the Caja Mágica in front of my home crowd.

“I will try to play this level – I will say this is my best level. I have to show that in the quarter-final, but obviously playing this match gives me a lot of confidence.”    

Zverev, who came away with one less game than he managed against the 19-year-old this time last year, offered a slightly different perspective. The 26-year-old, who is set to drop out of the top 20 for the first time in six years as he continues his comeback from the devastating ankle injury he suffered at Roland Garros last summer, hailed the quality of his opponent but acknowledged that the road to recovering the kind of form that has twice seen him crowned champion in Madrid will be a bumpy one.

“It’s gonna be a process with ups and downs,” Zverev, who was ranked second and playing the finest tennis of his career this time last year, wrote on social media. 

“[Alcaraz] is one of the best players in the world and is on a different level to me at the moment.”

Daniil Medvedev, the second seed, endured a similar chastening experience against his Russian compatriot Aslan Karatsev, slipping to a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 defeat against the former Australian Open semi-finalist. Unhappy to be scheduled in the relatively cramped confines of Aranxta Sanchez Stadium rather than on Manolo Santana, where he is better able to adopt his preferred return position deep behind the baseline, Medvedev complained long and hard to the match supervisor. 

“I don’t understand why, in the fourth round of a Masters, I am disadvantaged,” said Medvedev, who also expressed dissatisfaction about the shadow eclipsing part of the court.  

“Why do I have this disadvantage when I am No 2 [seed]? I don’t understand. It’s a little bit strange, right?”

It was a strange day all round for the top-ranked Russians, with Andrey Rublev, champion on the clay courts of Monte Carlo and a finalist in Banja Luka last month, beaten 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 by Khachanov. Rublev, the fifth seed, held two set points against his good friend and doubles partner in the first-set tiebreak, but was unable to capitalise.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhizhen continued his remarkable run in the Spanish capital, recovering from a set and a break down and saving three match points to defeat Taylor Fritz, the eighth seed, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-8). It was a third high-profile scalp for the 99th-ranked Zhang, who came from behind to see off Cameron Norrie, the British 11th seed, and Denis Shapovalov, seeded 21, in the previous two rounds. Zhang, who had never previously won a match at this level, is the first Chinese man to reach the last eight at a Masters 1000 event. He will play Karatsev, also a first-time quarter-finalist at this level, for a place in the last four.

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The decision, announced in a statement by the All England Club on Friday, had been widely anticipated following forthright opposition to the ban from the ATP and the WTA. The tours stripped last summer’s tournament of ranking points and fined both the All England Club and the Lawn Tennis Association, which followed Wimbledon in barring Russians and Belarusians from its tournaments as part of a “consistent approach across all events”. However, it was a threat to expel British tennis from the professional tours altogether, jeopardising the future of established events like Queen’s and Eastbourne, that effectively forced the All England Club’s hand. 

“There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging to the interests of players, fans, the Championships and British tennis,” read the club’s statement.

The decision was welcomed by Daniil Medvedev, who sat out Wimbledon last year – when he was the reigning US Open champion and world No 1 – after reaching grass-court finals in Rosmalen and Halle. 

“I’m really happy,” said Medvedev following his semi-final win over Russian compatriot Karen Khachanov at the Miami Open. 

“I always said that I love this tournament. It’s the only grand slam, which is surprising when we have Roland Garros, that I didn’t make quarters yet, and I want to do better. 

“I had some tough losses there. I want to try to turn this around. It’s a beautiful tournament, beautiful grand slam. I’m really happy that I’m going to be able to play there this year.”

To compete at Wimbledon and the LTA events leading up to it, Russian and Belarusian players and their support staff will be required to sign a neutrality agreement prohibiting any expression of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They will also need to confirm that they are neither receiving state funding nor sponsored by state-owned or state-controlled companies “in relation to their participation in the Championships”. 

The terms, painstakingly wrought following consultation with the British government, the two tours and other “international stakeholder bodies in tennis”, are unlikely to make any material difference to the affected players, who have been competing under a neutral flag since the war began. 

“I guess we just follow the rules,” said Khachanov. “I think this is what we are doing now, right? There is neutrality? There is no flag since last year end of February? 

“So basically we just keep doing the same like all other tournaments, I think. It’s nothing different.”

Therein lies the frustration for the All England Club, which took a lone stand last year but has now effectively been railroaded into conformity.

“We continue to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine,” said Ian Hewitt, the All England Club’s chairman. 

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.”

Wimbledon’s volte-face was denounced by Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, who urged the British government to decline visa applications from Russian players.  

“Has Russia ceased its aggression or atrocities?” wrote Kuleba on social media. “No, it’s just that Wimbledon decided to accommodate two accomplices in crime. I call on the UK government to deny visas to their players.”

Yet the reality of the dilemma facing the All England Club was laid bare in a statement issued by the LTA.

“The effect on British tennis of the LTA being expelled from the tours would be very damaging and far reaching for the game in our country,” said the statement. 

“The impact would be felt by the millions of fans that follow the sport, the grass roots of the game, including coaches and venues which rely on the events for visibility and to bring new players into the game, and of course professional British players.”

In a joint statement, the ATP and WTA welcomed the successful resolution of a problem that, not for the first time, has exposed the fault-lines in the sport’s governance.  

“It has taken a collaborative effort across the sport to arrive at a workable solution, which protects the fairness of the game,” said the statement. 

“This remains an extremely difficult situation, and we would like to thank Wimbledon and the LTA for their efforts in reaching this outcome, while reiterating our unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.”

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Had he made contact, Tsitsipas would have been instantly disqualified, shattering any hope of avenging his defeat to Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final – a meeting that appeared to slip Djokovic’s mind when he asked reporters on Monday whether the Athenian had ever contested a major final. Absent-mindedness or kidology? If Djokovic was trying to get inside the head of the man most likely to be standing between him and a 22nd grand slam title on Sunday, you could hardly blame him. 

Tsitsipas has been on fire at this Australian Open. He has served with unprecedented venom and consistency. He has dominated opponents from the baseline with his mighty forehands and lithe movement. Above all, he has performed with renewed freedom and intensity while revealing a more relaxed and fun persona off it, currying favour with the locals in his on-court interviews. Which is why, after nine days in which big names have fallen like dominoes, it would have been a huge blow for the tournament had the Greek been given his marching orders.

It is a measure of how badly Tsistsipas craves this title that he let fly at the ball as it bounced off the backstop following a rifled winner from Lehecka. True, he had just dropped a return short off an inviting second serve with the Czech in peril at 15-30, 3-4. But as the scurrying ballboy halted and flinched, it was hard not to wonder what Tsitsipas, bearing down on a semi-final meeting with Karen Khachanov, was thinking. The Greek was three games from victory over Lehecka and has won all five of his previous matches against Khachanov, who earlier advanced after Sebastian Korda was forced to retire with a wrist injury while trailing 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 3-0. Why take the risk?

“I saw the ball kid when the ball came back,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m a professional tennis player. I was not aiming for the ball kid, obviously. I saw the wall, just went back towards the wall. The ball kid, in my eyes, was pretty far away from me. Would have really had to miss to hit that ball kid.”

Djokovic mounted a similar defence following a comparable incident in 2016 – “If I’m not close, I’m not close,” he snapped after firing a ball into the crowd at the ATP Finals – and we all know how that one turned out. Tsitsipas would do well to take note of the consternation of his peers.

“Speaking from experience, you’ve got to be careful when hitting balls around the court,” said Eurosport’s Tim Henman, who was famously defaulted from a doubles match at Wimbledon in 1995 after accidentally hitting a ball girl in similar circumstances.

“Tsitsipas just got really lucky,” agreed Jim Courier, a four-time grand slam champion, in his commentary for Australian TV. “He swings in anger and nearly hits the ball kid. If it does, he is shaking hands as a loser in this match. You cannot do that, you have to be careful. That was dangerous.”

Assuming he can remain dangerous for the right reasons, Tsitsipas will start as a clear favourite against Khachanov, who will be contesting his second grand slam semi-final in succession following his outstanding run at the US Open last September. 

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The clinical manner in which Ruud went about reaching his second grand slam final in three months at Flushing Meadows, dissecting the game of Karen Khachanov, a towering 26-year-old Russian with a booming serve and haymaker forehand, offered a cogent and compelling rejoinder.

Ruud has a formidable forehand of his own, a destructive affair delivered with pace and explosive topspin, but his game is more about all-round excellence than standout weapons. Sound technique in all areas of the court. Strong movement and tactical awareness. A calm, patient mentality that delivers calm, patient tennis. 

Considered individually, none of these qualities is likely to stop the casual passerby in their tracks; as a collective whole, they can overrun even a player of Khachanov’s potency, as the Russian acknowledged.   

“He’s No 2 in the world right now, that shows his improvement,” said Khachanov, a five-set victor over Nick Kyrgios in the previous round. “The main thing, obviously, is his consistency, his way of defending. As soon as you [start] pushing, giving him the space to step in, he’s really fast to go around his forehand, play aggressive.

“[It’s his] overall game. If you see from that perspective, he’s not that tall, but he has a big serve, precise. At the same time his main weapon is his forehand, going around, accelerating the ball, having one of the heaviest topspins on tour. He improved his backhand as well. He’s not missing that many balls. He’s changing down the line. He’s overall a consistent baseliner, let’s call him like that.”

Over the course of three workmanlike hours, Ruud outshone the Muscovite in every department, generating more winners (53 to 43), making fewer unforced errors (34 to 41), creating more break points and, most notably, winning a higher percentage of points behind both his first and second serves. 

Unsurprisingly, it was enough to earn Ruud a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory that sets up a straight shootout with Carlos Alcaraz, a five-set winner over Frances Tiafoe, for the US Open title and world No 1 ranking.

“If I want to beat Carlos, I’ll need to play very precise with all the shots that I hit, especially try to keep him a little bit further back in the court, to play with good depth and length on all my shots,” said Ruud, the first Norwegian man to reach a major final. 

“If he steps in, he can do anything with the ball. He can rip a winner. He also has great touch with the drop shot. I think he has one of the best drop shots on tour. 

“If you play with good depth and good length, it’s tougher to hit drop shots. That will be something that I will try to focus on. We’re playing for the tournament and also world No 1. Of course, there will be nerves, and we will both feel it.”

After facing Khachanov, he will be well rehearsed. Nerves were evident from both men in the early stages, with four of the first eight games going against serve. 

The opening set came down to a lung-busting 55-shot rally at 6-5 in the tiebreak, the rarest of novelties in an era when advances in racket and string technology have enabled players to generate unprecedented power. It was Ruud who emerged trembly-legged but triumphant, raising his arms aloft after finally forcing an error with a deep backhand into Khachanov’s forehand corner, and from that point on the Norwegian grew in stature. 

“That gave, of course, motivation and energy to play good and keep going in the second,” said Ruud, who raced through the second set and, having dropped the third in the face of some irresistible serving from Khachanov, broke early in the fourth with a sensational running forehand.

This time last year, Ruud was wont to make jokes at his own expense about his prowess on hard courts. His best results have come on European clay: he won three consecutive titles on red dirt last summer, and was a finalist at Roland Garros in June, when he was put firmly in his place by Nadal. 

Yet, as he has pointed out, the weather in his native Oslo obliged him to spend six months of each season playing on indoor hard courts during his formative years. He is no stranger to the surface, and this season’s run to the Miami Open final – where he was stopped in straight sets by Alcaraz – served not only to reinforce his own confidence, but also reshaped the perceptions of his peers.

“Reaching that final did something with my self-belief, but also respect [from] other players,” said Ruud. “Whenever they look at my results, they’ll see, ‘OK, he made the final of an ATP 1000 on hard court. This guy knows [how] to play more than just on clay.’”

“If you can have small percentages of fear or respect in your opponent’s head before going out in a match, it will of course help.”

That is not an advantage Ruud will enjoy against Alcaraz, who has won both their previous meetings. Yet the Spanish third seed was once again forced to battle long into the night against Tiafoe, and after surviving three epic matches in succession – including a 2.50am finish, the latest in US Open history, against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals – it remains to be seen how much the 19-year-old has left in the tank. 

If perspiration outweighs inspiration, perceptions may need to shift further before the week is out.

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It is a conveniently pithy adage, yet it is only a partial representation of Billie Jean King’s famous words, which continue: “Usually if you have tremendous pressure, it’s because an opportunity comes along.” With the men’s quarter-finals at the US Open shorn of the big three for the second time in three years, a fuller exposition might be in order. 

Opportunity looms large at Flushing Meadows, where a grand slam champion from outside the triumvirate of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be crowned on Sunday for only the eighth time since Federer won his first Wimbledon title in 2003. On a day of heavy rainfall in New York, the attendant pressures were plain to see. 

Matteo Berrettini was the first to sink without trace. The Italian, a semi-finalist three years ago, was swept aside 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) as Casper Ruud, the fifth seed, rode a tide of inspiration to reach the last four for the first time. 

Many observers expected Berrettini, with his booming serve, flamethrower forehand and superior grand slam pedigree, to have too much for the Norwegian. But on an afternoon when Berrettini barely turned up until he was on the verge of a two-set deficit, a fourth major semi-final was never on the cards.

“I was really bad,” said Berrettini. “I didn’t check my percentage of serve. I didn’t check the stats, but my game wasn’t there.

“He played a really good match, and I played a really bad match. Really nothing I can say, more than [this was] the worst day of the tournament, probably in the most important moment. Nothing today. I mean, I fought through, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t feeling my game. I wasn’t feeling my mindset.”

As Berrettini wilted in the face of opportunity, Ruud soared. It was an immaculate performance from the 23-year-old, who reached his first grand slam final this summer at Roland Garros and has a chance to claim the No 1 ranking if he can advance to the title round of a second major in three months.

Having set out to nullify Berrettini’s heavy artillery by making a high percentage of returns and forcing the Italian to contest the baseline exchanges off his weaker backhand side, Ruud executed his strategy to near perfection. The Norwegian surrendered just two unforced errors en route to a 6-1, 5-1 lead and then weathered a belated fightback from Berrettini, who established a 5-2 lead in the third set, to save two set points. 

Buoyed by his growing feel for the rhythms of the five-set format, and increasingly confident on hard courts after reaching the final of the Miami Open earlier this year, Ruud is embracing the possibilities that lie ahead.

“It’s sort of a city of dreams, and I guess that’s helping me with my game and my motivation,” said Ruud, who also reached the last four in Montreal before the US Open. 

“During Paris, something clicked, and I feel like this year I have sort of figured out a better way to play five sets, knowing that it’s very different from playing best of three sets.

“It often becomes much longer matches, and a lot of back and forth. Also realising or knowing that you can sort of let one set go every once in a while, to save some energy for the rest of the sets. So I think I matured and learned how to play five sets better than I did last year.”

The same might be said of Nick Kyrgios, whose run to the Wimbledon final has been the catalyst for a remarkable summer in which he has emerged as the tour’s form player, claiming the Washington title and twice defeating Daniil Medvedev, the current world No 1. 

Bookmakers promptly installed Kyrgios as the title favourite following Nadal’s shock defeat to Frances Tiafoe in the last 16, but expectation caught up with the volatile Australian against Karen Khachanov, who consigned Kyrgios to a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 defeat that left the 23rd seed smashing his rackets in frustration.

“I’m just devastated,” said Kyrgios, who was troubled by a sore knee in the early stages of a predictably service-dominated contest. 

“I just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all, to be honest. I feel like I’ve just failed at this event right now.

“I honestly feel like shit. I feel like I’ve let so many people down.”

At the heart of Kyrgios’s disappointment lay an appreciation that, with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer absent and Nadal beaten – and having ended Medvedev’s reign as champion in the previous round – he may never have a better opportunity to win a grand slam title. He will have known, too, that had he converted either of the two break points he held in the ninth game of the third set, the outcome might have been different. Instead, Khachanov served an ace before Kyrgios, to his evident, racket-smashing dismay, blasted an inviting forehand long.

They were not the only chances that went begging – Khachanov twice served his way out of trouble in the opening game of that set – and although Kyrgios recovered well to force a decider, an early break proved fatal to his ambitions. 

Huge credit must go to Khachanov, who embraced the chance to reach his first grand slam semi-final with a performance full of steel and resilience. 

“I would say it was quite open for all the guys because everybody [could] see that there is [an] opportunity to take the trophy,” said the 26-year-old. “I would say maybe it even increased the level for everyone.”

Some more than others, it would be fair to say.

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No one would deny that the retractable roof installed above Arthur Ashe Stadium six years ago was a needful addition at a tournament where rain once caused the postponement of the men’s final for five consecutive years. Yet the solution has not come without problems, and one of those is the awkward expanse of shade that envelops one end of the court between late morning and early afternoon, making it difficult to pick up the ball as it comes out of the shadows. 

Against a player possessed of a service like Matteo Berrettini’s, that is quite a problem, as Murray discovered. Barely visible at the best of times, the 6ft 5in Italian’s delivery regularly hurtles down at speeds in excess of 130mph; allowing it to pass through a change of light is a bit like equipping Sonic the Hedgehog with a turbocharged engine. For two sets, that must have been pretty much how it felt to Murray. Five games in, the former world No 1 was already chuntering to his box about being unable to track his returns in the shadows. 

Curiously, though, Murray’s 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3 defeat was ultimately determined as much by his own serve as Berrettini’s – and more by the blinding glare at one end of the court than the veil of darkness at the other. Time and again, the Scot sped through his service games in the shade, only to falter in the sun. The tone was set early, a trio of forehand winners gifting Berrettini a first break point. Murray fended off the danger to hold, but he would go on to drop serve three times in two sets from the sunny end, double faults costing him dearly on each occasion.

“I served pretty poorly for a large part of the match, which hurt me a lot,” said Murray, who made just 53% of his first serves. “It’s always tough down one end at that time of day. So from one end probably understandable, but, you know, I just couldn’t find any rhythm on serve.  

“I hung in really well in the third set, and could see from the stats and stuff that were coming up that when I was getting into rallies, I was getting comfortably the better of those exchanges when I got past the first few shots. He served extremely well, got loads of free points on his serve. I didn’t. That was the difference.”

Yet for all Murray’s deficiencies on serve, his stubborn fighting spirit remains boundless, and it is a reflection of his enduring resilience that he survived eight break points in the third set to establish a foothold in the contest. A break at the start of the fourth offered hope of more, but Murray promptly lost his serve to love, and from there Berrettini did not look back.

“Had I got through that game, maybe that changes things, but I didn’t play a good game,” said Murray. 

“I’ve not been in loads of those matches recently, and, you know, maybe that showed a little bit in those moments. But I’m surprised that I was able to compete as well as I did with someone that’s as good as him, with the situation that I’m in.

“I’ve got a metal hip. It’s not easy playing with that. It’s really difficult. 

“Matches like this, I’m really proud that I have worked myself into a position where I’m able to do that.”

For Berretini, who also defeated Murray on the grass courts of Stuttgart earlier this summer, the victory continues a welcome return to form after a season blighted by injury and illness. The 26-year-old, a semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows three years ago, will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the next round after the Spaniard came through 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 against Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan.

On a disappointing day for British tennis, Murray was followed out of the tournament by Jack Draper, who was forced to retire with a hamstring injury while trailing Russia’s Karen Khachanov 3-6, 6-4, 6-5. Draper, who defeated sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the previous round, led 5-3 in the third set. 

“It’s been a really positive week for me,” said Draper. “This is my second slam on merit. It’s very different playing the five-set matches. I beata couple of really good players, and I felt like today I was coming back. I would have had a chance to win that match if I was injury free.  

“I think in terms of reflecting, I can be very positive about the year I’ve had so far as well. When I look back, in 2020 I was thinking about stopping tennis during Covid. So to think I’m here now and I’ve broken the top 50 this week, I’m very proud of myself.”

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The pain in his left foot had become unbearable. Every morning, he would go on court to practice. Some days he would last only 20 minutes. On a good day, his body might allow him to train for 45 minutes or more. 

“Everybody around me, me included, had a lot of doubts,” Nadal recalled. “Not about the Australian Open, but about coming back on the tour, because the foot was bothering me a lot of days.

The chronic injury is not one that can be addressed surgically but, for the time being, it is at least under control sufficiently to allow him to compete. And so, with the ordeal of those dark weeks behind him, Nadal is determined to make the most of every opportunity he gets at the Australian Open.

On Friday, Karen Khachanov felt the full force of that determination. The Russian 28th seed had lost all seven of his previous matches against the former champion. When Nadal won 12 of the first 13 points, there was little sign of that pattern changing. Yet the Spaniard’s 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory was more complicated than the scoreline might suggest.

The opening two sets were like an extended Nadal highlights reel. There was the scorching crosscourt backhand with which he sealed the first break. There was an immaculate, backpedalling bounce smash, hit for a clean winner from just inside the baseline. There was a crisp, angled slice that pulled Khachanov into the doubles alley, an abundance of lethal whipcrack forehands. There was even a run of four successive love holds by the Spaniard. Nadal was beating the big-serving Khachanov at his own game. 

Then things got interesting.

Khachanov, a 6ft 6in powerhouse who wields the racket on his forehand as though shovelling snow, decided it was time to open his shoulders. With the Muscovite suddenly landing hammer blows, Nadal was broken for the first time, losing a game he had led 40-0 as his opponent landed a series of mighty backhands.

Nadal soon went into defensive mode, retreating deep behind the baseline. But with midnight approaching and a fourth set beckoning, the 35-year-old knew he needed to change the direction of travel. He elected to bide his time, waiting to see if his defensive instincts would bring reward, but ready to switch to a more aggressive key if required. 

“I think I lost little bit the court I was playing,” said the sixth-seeded Nadal. “After that I started to play a little bit too far from the baseline. I said, ‘OK, let’s try to finish the set like this. If I am able to have the break back, fantastic. If not, in the fourth I am going to start playing more aggressive again.”

Early in the fourth set, he made his move. Some extraordinary retrieving encouraged Khachanov to overpress on a forehand, handing Nadal a break point. He converted it with a running backhand pass that had him fist-pumping like he was 17 again. Khachanov would win only one more game.

“I think I played a great fourth set,” said Nadal, who will play Adrian Mannarino of Fraance in the last 16 after the French veteran defeated Aslan Karatsev, the 18th seed, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-4 in a contest spanning almost five hours.

“You need to be quick in making the right decisions, analyse what’s happening. This is something that, when you are not playing, doesn’t come [back] that quick sometimes.

“Today I was able to analyse, I think, in the proper way. I made the right decisions. The quality of shots and the position on court and movements today [were] a very high level, no? To win against a great opponent like him, I needed to play well, and I think I did.”

The same could be said for Matteo Berrettini, who edged out Nadal’s compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10-5) despite turning his ankle early in the fifth set. 

“I really fought hard,” said the Italian seventh seed, who will play another Spaniard, 19th seed Pablo Carreño Busta, in round four. “That’s what I think made the difference.”

Alexander Zverev, the third seed, moved a step closer to a projected quarter-final showdown against Nadal with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot. 

“I’m through the first week without losing a set,” said Zverev, who will face Denis Shapovalov, the 14th seed, in the last 16. “I think that’s always very positive. I’m still quite full of energy, which is good for me as well, going into the next matches.”

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