Rafael Nadal sent a warning to his Australian Open rivals with an impressive straight-sets victory over Tomas Berdych en route to the quarter-finals.
World number two and Spanish star Nadal outclassed Berdych 6-0 6-1 7-6 (7-4) after more than two hours in Melbourne on Sunday.
Nadal won nine successive games to start the last-16 clash and it set the tone for a comprehensive victory despite a late comeback from Berdych, who failed to convert a set point in the third.
Through to his 11th Australian Open quarter-final and 37th overall in majors, 17-time grand slam champion Nadal will face Frances Tiafoe for a spot in the semis.
Berdych - unseeded at a slam for the first time since 2005 Wimbledon - had only won one of his last 22 matches against top-five opposition prior to the counter.
That win came back in 2017 and the Czech's struggles continued as he was put to the sword by Nadal under the Melbourne sun on Rod Laver Arena.
Nadal faced a break point in the opening game but never looked back, winning 26 points to 10 to hand Berdych a first-set bagel inside 27 minutes.
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The 24th career meeting between the pair but first in nearly four years continued to be one-sided, Nadal reeling off nine answered games before Berdych stopped the rot to avoid back-to-back bagels.
Berdych improved in the third set and had the chance to force a fourth but he was unable to capitalise on the rare opportunity in the 12th game as the sensational Nadal - bidding to become the first man in the Open Era and only the third in history to win each of the four majors twice - reached consecutive quarters in Melbourne.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Nadal [2] bt Berdych 6-0 6-1 7-6 (7-4)
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Nadal - 32/17
Berdych - 24/32
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Nadal - 5/1
Berdych - 5/3
BREAK POINTS WON
Nadal - 5/13
Berdych - 0/2
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Nadal - 69
Berdych - 47
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Nadal - 80/64
Berdych - 70/44
TOTAL POINTS
Nadal - 95
Berdych - 64
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