Rafael Nadal has made his way to the quarter-finals of the ongoing Australia Open tournament after a match against Adrian Mannarino that lasted for nearly three hours. The world seed number 5 won the game 7-6(14) 6-2 6-2 to register his spot in the quarter-finals for the 14th time.

After saving four set points and missing with the first six of his own, Nadal finally clinched a tiebreaker that lasted 28 minutes and 40 seconds.

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After his 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2 fourth-round victory over fellow left-hander Adrian Mannarino on Sunday, Nadal is potentially just three wins away from a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title. With Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer not in contention, Nadal’s way to trophy seems to be clear.

He later reflected on a tiebreaker where momentum swung wildly; where chants of “Let’s go Rafa, Let’s go!” rang out; where a point was decided on a 25-shot rally with both players scrambling at full stretch; and which ended only when Nadal volleyed from deep in the court and Mannarino’s reflex reply skewed wide.

The Spanish player is all set to lock horns with 22-year-old Denis Shapovalov, who beat Alexander Zverev on Sunday on the Margaret Court Arena. The game ended with a Te6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 tally.

Nadal is now tied with John Newcombe in the second spot on the all-time list for most quarterfinals in Australia, one behind Roger Federer’s 15, according to a report from Associated Press.

It’s also the Spaniard’s 45th time into the last eight at a Grand Slam tournament, which is third on the all-time behind Federer (58) and Novak Djokovic (51).

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He shares the men’s record of 20 major titles with Federer and Djokovic. But he’s the only one of the trio playing in this tournament.

Nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic was deported on the eve of the tournament because he didn’t meet Australia’s strict COVID-19 vaccination rules. Federer is recovering from an injury.