Madrid: Clay master Rafa Nadal tamed big-serving American John Isner to claim a place in the last eight of the Madrid Open on Thursday.
The world number three, bidding for a third straight Masters title of the year on his favoured surface after triumphs in Monte Carlo and Rome, broke the booming Isner serve late in the first set and early in the second.
With Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and several of his Real Madrid team mates in the crowd, the 23-year-old Mallorcan sealed victory with his only ace of the match to set up a quarter-final against compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or French 12th-seed Gael Monfils.
Local favourite Fernando Verdasco was denied a place in the quarters when he was upset 7-5 6-3 by Juergen Melzer in a battle of the big-hitting left-handers earlier on Thursday.
Spanish sixth seed Verdasco, who lost to Nadal in the final in Monte Carlo and reached the last four in Rome, had treatment on an ankle problem at the end of the first set.
He committed 41 unforced errors and unseeded Austrian Melzer dashed the crowd's hopes of a possible semi-final on Saturday between Verdasco and Nadal when he broke the Madrid native for a sixth time on his first match point.
A subdued Verdasco said at a news conference he had injured the ankle in his second-round victory over Croat Ivo Karlovic but said he should be fit for the French Open.
"It's annoying, and the injury is in a difficult place," the 26-year-old said.
"There are lots of tendons in this zone but two physios have told me it isn't serious. I think I'll be able to make it for Paris and to be 100 percent."
World number one Roger Federer, who beat Nadal in last year's final, plays Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the last eight, and Briton Andy Murray, the third seed, faces Romanian Victor Hanescu.
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