PHOTOS/VIDEO: 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters R3 Rafael Nadal vs. Karen Khachanov

2018 Monte-Carlo Masters R3 Rafael Nadal bt. Karen Khachanov  6/3 6/2

Next opponent - Dominic Thiem 

Rafael Nadal withstood the power of Karen Khachanov on Thursday to record his 65th match win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he bids to capture a record 11th trophy this week.

The Spanish superstar, seeking a record 31st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, defeated 21-year-old Russian Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 in 80 minutes for a place in the quarter-finals against sixth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem. Nadal has now reached the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals 14 consecutive years.

Nadal leads Thiem, who beat 2013 and 2015 champion Novak Djokovic earlier in the day, 5-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The pair met on four occasions in red-dirt matches in 2017 (Nadal 3-1). 

Source: ATP

Photos: AFP; Getty Images; REUTERS; EPA

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