Tennis-Dominant Nadal eases past Carreno Busta into fourth round

Spain's Rafa Nadal was at his dominant best against Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday, brushing aside his compatriot 6-1 6-2 6-4 to move into the fourth round at the Australian Open. Top seed Nadal has not been beaten by a fellow countryman since losing to Fernando Verdasco at Melbourne Park in 2016 and extended his winning streak against Spanish players to 18 matches with his win over 30th-ranked Carreno Busta.

Nadal, bidding for a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title, faced no break points and struck 42 winners to just seven unforced errors in the one hour and 38-minute contest on Rod Laver Arena. Nadal sealed the victory after Carreno Busta sent a backhand return into the net, setting up a meeting with either Australian Nick Kyrgios or Russian 16th seed Karen Khachanov.