Nadal destroys Basilashvili at Roland Garros

Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal advanced to the last 16 at Roland Garros on Friday with a clinical destruction of Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Spain's Rafael Nadal during his third round match against Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili Reuters/Christian Hartmann

The 25-year-old from Georgia was a set down within 26 minutes. He was out of his third Roland Garros just over an hour later, having won only one game in 90 minutes.

“I mean, he's a much, much better player than I am obviously,” said the world number 63. “And it's going to take a lot of work if I want to play on centre court and play good match against him. And also his game is something very difficult to handle."

Basilashvili reached the semi-final at the Lyon clay court tournament just before Roland Garros and beat experienced operators Gilles Simon and Victor Troicki on his way to Friday's third round annihilation.

But he conceded that Nadal was a beast from another dimension.

"I had some couple plays in my head how to play against him but couldn't hurt
him in any place," he admitted. "I was trying to change a little bit some things but in every aspect of the game I could not hurt him. He was playing his game."

Basilashvili added: "The score is quite embarrassing you know but I have to accept it. And also it gives me a lot of motivation for the future to keep working hard."

Nadal, seeded fourth, will play his 17th seeded Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday for a place in the last eight. That match will take place a day after his 31st birthday.

“It is always great to celebrate my birthday here," said Nadal. "I think only once or twice I didn't celebrate here and was not the best feeling. It’s good news that I will be here and I am just happy for that."

To read our coverage of Roland Garros 2017, click here