TIL Desk Sports/ Champion Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic turned in impressive displays to reach the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Thursday. Nadal, chasing a record-extending 12th Monte Carlo title, broke Grigor Dimitrov’s serve on four occasions to defeat the Bulgarian 6-4, 6-1.After recovering from two break points down in his opening service game, Nadal attacked Dimitrov’s backhand with power and precision to move into a 3-1 lead.
The 32-year-old Spaniard continued to extract errors from Dimitrov to claim the first set before racing to his 15th quarter-final on the Monte Carlo clay. Nadal has now recorded 70 wins at the Monte Carlo Country Club. The only other tournament Nadal has achieved more victories is the French Open, where the 11-time winner holds an astonishing 86-2 match-win record.
After struggling to rediscover his rhythm in his opener against Philipp Kohlschreiber, Djokovic looked in complete control as he swept past Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-0. The 31-year-old Serb quickly adjusted the pace on his groundstrokes to claim three consecutive service breaks and take the opening set. Fritz failed to offer any kind of resistance in the second set and was ultimately undone by his 28 unforced errors.
