Nadal rides out Kyrgios challenge to reach quarter-finals

MELBOURNE (REUTERS): Rafa Nadal suffered his first lost set of the tournament but rode out a challenge from a wholly committed Nick Kyrgios to move into the quarter-finals of the

Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates after his match against Australia's Nick Kyrgios - Reuters

Australian Open for the 12th time with a 6-3 3-6 7-6(6) 7-6(4) victory yesterday.

Kyrgios was a match for the 19-times Grand Slam champion in the second set and for much of the third but the muscle-bound Spaniard looked like the most likely winner once he got his nose back in front.The Australian, however, broke back when Nadal was serving for the match in the fourth set, reigniting the contest and bringing the partisan Rod Laver Arena crowd back into the equation.

The world number one gritted his teeth and went ahead again in the tiebreak and moved through to a last-eight meeting with Austrian Dominic Thiem when Kyrgios netted a forehand after three hours and 38 minutes.