Rafael Nadal vs Maximilian Marterer LIVE FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Rafael Nadal faces Maximilian Marterer in the last-16 of the French Open this morning. Nadal is on course to claim a historic 11th Roland Garros title this summer. He is yet to drop a set in the tournament in Paris and on Saturday beat off home favourite Richard Gasquet with ease. Nadal faces 22-year-old Marterer knowing the German has never made it this deep into a Grand Slam before. The Spaniard is the heavy favourite and you can follow the match live here with Express Sport. Rafael Nadal's girlfriend Xisca Perello watches on from the stands Rafael Nadal vs Maximilian Marterer LIVE [* denotes server] Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 7-6 Maximilian Marterer - NADAL WINS NADAL WINS! He fluffs two match points before seeing out the tie-break 7-4. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 6-6 Maximilian Marterer Tie-Break Apologies for the updates delay. The Serena Williams news has caught us off guard a tad! Nadal earns a mini-break in the tie-break. He’s 5-3 up… BREAKING NEWS from Paris. Serena Williams have WITHDRAWN from her match with Maria Sharapova due to injury. Get the latest details from Roland Garros here >> Serena Williams injury Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 4-5 Maximilian Marterer* Neither man seems too bothered about really chasing the other’s serves right now. Maybe tiredness is creeping in. Marterer does enough to hold. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 4-4 Maximilian Marterer Nadal holds to love. There a sense of a tie-break coming. Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-4 Maximilian Marterer* A gorgeous drop shot from Marterer - not something we’ve seen him use often today - earns him advantage after he saved break point earlier in the game. He then slams down an unreturnable serve to hold. Maximilian Marterer fires back a low forehand *Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-3 Maximilian Marterer Nadal draws the set level with a gritty display of patience, waiting for Marterer to blink. He claims to game at 40-30. Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 2-3 Maximilian Marterer* - BREAK Nadal breaks straight back and Marterer shakes his head. The Spaniard is forced left on the baseline and plants a lovely backhand winner down the line. Smooth tennis that. And we’re back on serve. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 1-3 Maximilian Marterer - BREAK What do we have here? Marterer secures a break after storming into a 15-40 lead. Nadal goes for a winner and fluffs it. Now this could get interesting. Rafael Nadal takes a rest during the change of ends Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 1-2 Maximilian Marterer* No problem for Marterer here, seeing off Nadal to 15. He’s matching his opponent’s forehand game here. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 1-1 Maximilian Marterer Nadal holds to 30 but Marterer showed some gumption in that game, forcing a couple of errors out of the Spaniard. Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 0-1 Maximilian Marterer* Marterer saves a break point in the deuce before holding. He needs a break himself at some point or he’s likely heading out of the French Open. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 Maximilian Marterer And there’s the set. Routine for Nadal as he serves out to 15. Rafael Nadal wins the first set Rafael Nadal 6-3 5-2 Maximilian Marterer* - BREAK Looks like the second set is going to Nadal. He storms into a 0-40 lead and wins the game on his third break point attempt. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 4-2 Maximilian Marterer Nadal holds with ease, waiting for Marterer to falter in the rallies. It must be excruciating trying to match the Spaniard for baseline consistency. Rafael Nadal 6-3 3-2 Maximilian Marterer* Nadal twice comes to the net to slam home winners, pinning Marterer to the back of the court and forcing a defensive lob that is swatted away both times. Wow! Nadal flicks back four defensive backhands in a row, before pouncing on a fifth to wrong-foot Marterer, who nets. Break point… is saved. We’re at deuce. Marterer holds on his second attempt. Maximilian Marterer was forced onto the baseline on more than one occasions *Rafael Nadal 6-3 3-1 Maximilian Marterer A smooth forehand winner from Nadal sets up two game points. He nails it on the first attempt. Rafael Nadal 6-3 2-1 Maximilian Marterer* Marterer nets at 30-15 and whacks his feet with his racket. The German is struggling to match Nadal when they get into long rallies. However, going for the winners early seem to work. And that earns him the game here. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 2-0 Maximilian Marterer Marterer gets a point off his opponent but Nadal’s serve is too strong. Rafael Nadal 6-3 1-0 Maximilian Marterer* - BREAK Oh dear. Nadal breaks to love to Marterer suddenly looks down and out. His shoulders slump as the Spaniard dispatches a winner for the break. *Rafael Nadal 6-3 Maximilian Marterer Nadal opens up two set points. And he secures the set with no problem as Marterer nets. Rafael Nadal was broken in the first game of the match The world is watching Paris ... # RG18 pic.twitter.com/6ehxDjisyY — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2018 Rafael Nadal 5-3 Maximilian Marterer* A hefty forehand from Marterer clips the baseline to open up three game points. And he aces to hold. *Rafael Nadal 5-2 Maximilian Marterer Nadal is eyeing up the first set here. He makes it 5-2 and a muscular forehand that Marterer cannot dig out with his backhand. Rafael Nadal 4-2 Maximilian Marterer* - BREAK Suddenly there’s daylight for Nadal as he breaks to love! That’s how to turn on the heat. *Rafael Nadal 3-2 Maximilian Marterer Break point on the Nadal serve at 30-40. The Spaniard saves it with a backhand down the line. He has to defend another break point and does as Marterer goes wide.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Nadal is hoping to win his 11th French Open title but Marterer stands in his way of a quarter-final spot. The world No 1 has yet to drop a set throughout his Roland Garros campaign and it is unlikely he will do so against the unseeded German. However, Nadal has never before faced Marterer so he is expecting a ‘dangerous’ clash. “I saw him play. I saw him play the other day against [Denis] Shapovalov,” Nadal said. “And I saw him play a little bit against Zverev in Munich a couple of weeks ago. “Yeah, he's a player that has a good potential. He's a player that has a good serve, good forehand. He hits the ball with big topspin. “He has power, so he's a dangerous opponent. He's playing well. “I, of course, need to take care about what's going on. I hope to be ready to play a good match. “I think I'm improving, too, every day, playing better and better. And that's my goal and my way.”<doc-sep>Rafael Nadal is another step closer to his 11th French Open title after a straight-sets win over Maximilian Marterer. The world No1, overwhelming favourite to win the Roland Garros crown yet again, faced his toughest test so far but still came through unscathed to reach the quarter-finals. If there were any concerns that 22-year-old German Marterer would be overawed facing the king of clay on the court he has ruled for the best part of 13 years, they were quickly dispelled when he broke Nadal's serve in the opening game. Nadal also faced break points at 2-2, but he fended them off and clinched his own second break to take the set. A break in the first game of the second put Nadal on his way to a two-set lead as Marterer appeared to wilt. Yet Marterer is clearly a fighter and he broke for 3-1 in the third, only for Nadal to hit straight back. Nadal still needed a tie-break to see off a stubborn opponent - winning his 37th consecutive set at the tournament - for a 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7/4) victory. He will face Diego Schwartzman, the 11th seed, in the last eight after the Argentinian pulled off a stunning fightback against Kevin Anderson. Sixth seed Anderson, of South Africa, dropped just three games as he took the first two sets but Schwartzman somehow recovered for an unlikely 1-6 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7/0) 6-2 triumph. PA<doc-sep>Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Rafael Nadal continued his march toward an 11th French Open title on Monday as he progressed into the quarter-finals following a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) win over Max Marterer. After a sluggish start to the match, the top seed and defending champion settled into a devastating groove, dominating his young opponent over the course of the three sets on the Philippe-Chatrier Court. Next up for the Spaniard is a meeting with Diego Schwartzman, who came back from two sets down to beat Kevin Anderson in a thrilling five-set encounter Monday. Nadal's victory here now means he's won an incredible 37 sets in succession at the French Open. The 16-time Grand Slam champion is closing in on the record, which is currently a mark of 41 held by the great Bjorn Borg. After sweeping aside Richard Gasquet in the previous round, those in attendance Monday would've been expecting more fireworks from Nadal from the off. However, and not for the first time at this tournament, the top seed got off to a slow start. Marterer, in fairness, took the racket out of Nadal's hand in the opening two games, grabbing a break and moving 2-0 up with some brilliant play. Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times put the German's run to Round 4 into perspective here: Video Play Button Videos you might like His lead didn't last long, though, as Nadal started to crank up the pressure on the youngster. The power and precision of Nadal saw him quickly restore parity before another three games pushed the top seed into a 5-2 lead. After that five-game run, he was able to close out the set 6-3, and even at this early stage, the German had a mountain to climb. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images At the start of the second stanza, Marterer did appear a little jaded, and Nadal pounced to break at the first opportunity. By this point, the tournament favourite was in total control of the rallies, and another break ensured he was able to romp to the second set 6-2. With little to lose at the start of the third set, Marterer came out swinging and was able to make things a little more uncomfortable for Nadal. Indeed, he secured an early break and after moving 3-1 in front was in a good position to take a set. Per Eurosport UK, there appeared to be a little complacency creeping into Nadal's game with a commanding lead secured: That setback did spark Nadal into life, and he was quickly on the front foot again to break and restore parity in the set. While Nadal raced away with the first set after a similar beginning to it, this time Marterer dug in well and was able to hold serve throughout the rest of the stanza, forcing Nadal into a tiebreak for just the second time at this tournament. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Unsurprisingly, Nadal was able to find another level. After Marterer took a 2-1 lead, the top seed stepped things up with some brutal forehands and four points later was into a 5-2 lead. In the end, despite a tremendous late effort from Marterer, he was unable to contain the dynamism of Nadal. In fairness to the vanquished German, it's difficult to see anyone stopping the champion again this year.<doc-sep>
Rafael Nadal is into the last eight after another straight-sets win Rafael Nadal overcame an early wobble to breeze into the quarter-finals of the French Open with a 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win over Germany’s Maximilian Marterer. The win extended the 10-time Roland Garros champion's run of consecutive sets won at the tournament to 37. The last man to take a set off 32-year-old was Jack Sock in the fourth round in 2015. Facing the left-hander for the first time, it took Nadal 11 minutes to get on the board, by which time he had gone 2-0 down having been broken in the opening game of the match, with Marterer showing no early nerves in his first Grand Slam fourth-round appearance. Rafael Nadal took control after losing his opening service game of the match But it did not take long for Nadal to find his range and after Marterer went long with a forehand on game point on his own serve, the Spaniard sensed his opportunity to force break point, which was secured with a double fault for 2-2. A crushing winner two games later then sealed his second consecutive break of serve and the first set, and although Marterer continued to run hard and throw everything at Nadal, he could do nothing to prevent his opponent racing through the second set 6-2. Perhaps freed by a sense of having nothing to lose, Marterer stepped up his game in the third, with a superb delicate backhand across court helping him hold at 2-1. Maximilian Marterer showed flashes of his promise throughout the defeat to Nadal A drilled forehand volley then set up 0-30 on Nadal's serve and at 15-40, the crowd sensed a chance to extend this match and although he dumped the 22-year-old first break point into the net, Nadal then missed a simple winner with the court at his mercy to give Marterer a 3-1 lead. His advantage lasted all of two minutes though, as Nadal broke straight back, digging out a sliced backhand to get out of the corner and with that, it seemed Marterer's chance of an unlikely fightback was gone. But he kept fighting, forcing a tie-break only for Nadal to up the intensity once again and open up a 5-2 lead. Marterer responded with a superb forehand at 5-3 but after an epic rally, a forehand finally fell long to hand Nadal three match points. The first went begging with a forehand long of his own, but Marterer's fight was finally over when he could not land a backhand, prompting Nadal to race to the net and congratulate the German on a fine effort. The win means Nadal will now face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman, who earlier staged a thrilling comeback from two sets down to stun sixth seed Kevin Anderson and reach the last eight. Diego Schwartzman overcame Kevin Anderson to reach the last eight The 11th seed was totally outplayed in the first two sets but twice broke Anderson when the South African was serving for the match en route to a 1-6 2-6 7-5 7-6 6-2 victory. World No 7 Anderson, who was looking to become the first South African man to make the last eight since Cliff Drysdale 51 years ago, has now lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros on four occasions.