Norrie no match for Nadal at Bastad

Cameron Norrie could not stand in Rafael Nadal's way as the former world number one stormed into the Bastad Open quarter-finals.

Nadal made light work of the Briton on Thursday, cruising to a 6-4 6-4 victory.

The 38-year-old, who skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympics, will face fourth seed Mariano Navone in the last eight.

Speaking after his victory, Nadal said: "Great feelings. I've been a while without playing on the Tour, since Roland-Garros.

"To have the chance to compete well against a great player like Cameron is a great feeling. I think I played good tennis, in some moments I need to play a little bit more aggressive, but that is part of the journey today.

"I haven't been competing very often, so matches and victories like today help. To be in rhythm the whole match and hold the pressure on the opponent the whole match, that's something that I need to improve, because I didn't play enough."

Rafa returns to the Elite @RafaelNadal triumphs 6-4 6-4 for his first quarter-final ticket since January @NordeaOpen | #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/yOImxXwxKj
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 18, 2024

Data Debrief: Nadal's Norrie dominance

That is now five victories for Nadal against Norrie in six career meetings. The Spaniard's only defeat to Norrie came at the United Cup in 2023.

Nadal has won those five matches without dropping a set in any of them.