ATP Brisbane: Nadal beats Kubler to enter quarterfinals

The Spaniard entered the 225th quarterfinal of his career, the first since Wimbledon 2022, and will face Jordan Thompson on Friday.

Rafael Nadal reacts after winning a point during his match against Jason Kubler at the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament. | Photo Credit: AP

Rafael Nadal continued his impressive comeback by overpowering wildcard Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2 to move into the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International on Thursday.

Playing his first tournament since being forced to retire injured at the 2023 Australian Open, Nadal was far too strong for the Australian, who did not have the shots to harm the Spaniard.

The 37-year-old Nadal, who beat former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round, powered through the first set, opening a 5-0 lead before Kubler finally held serve to get on the board.

The second set was almost as impressive as Nadal wrapped up the match in 1hr 23min.

He will play another Australian, Jordan Thompson, in the quarterfinals and remains on track for a possible semifinal against second seed Grigor Dimitrov.