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Nadal's unbeaten start to 2022 has brought titles at the Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open and Mexican OpenRafael Nadal sealed his place in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells after beating Reilly Opelka in straight sets to claim his 18th straight win.
Spain's Nadal won both sets by tie-break 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) as the big-serving American Opelka held his own.
Opelka served nine aces to Nadal's six but the 21-time Grand Slam winner used all of his experience to advance.
Nadal will now face Australia's Nick Kyrgios, who received a walkover after Jannik Sinner withdrew through illness.
At 6ft 11in, Opelka produced some trademark big shots, including a raft of serves that topped the 140 mph mark.
But Nadal withstood the barrage and fired some impressive winners of his own as he targets a fourth title in the California desert.
The world number four is unbeaten in 2022, and just the second player since the beginning of the ATP Tour in 1990 to start a year 18-0 after landing a record-breaking slam at the Australian Open and the trophy in Acapulco last month.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic has done it twice, starting 41-0 in 2011 and 26-0 in 2020.
Elsewhere, Unseeded Serb Miomir Kecmanovic stunned world number six Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 to set up a quarter-final with American Taylor Fritz.
Kecmanovic absorbed his opponent's power serve in the first set, converting on a break point chance in the fourth game, as a frustrated Berrettini won just eight return points.
But Berrettini, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last year, struck 21 winners and won a tense tie-break to level in the second set.
Berrettini saved two breaks in the eighth game of a tightly fought final set to stay alive but Kecmanovic pounced to break the Italian's serve to love in the final game.
He will next play Fritz, who beat Australian Alex de Minaur 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
English (US)