Madrid Open: Alexander Zverev beats Dan Evans to set up Rafael Nadal quarter-final

Alexander ZverevGetty Images

Alexander Zverev has lost all three of his previous meetings with Rafael Nadal on clay

British number one Dan Evans missed out on the Madrid Open quarter-finals after losing to German fifth seed Alexander Zverev in the last 16.

Zverev, the 2018 champion, won 6-3 7-6 (6-3) and faces top seed Rafael Nadal in the last eight.

Evans, 30, paid the price for a one-sided first set, before being edged out of the second set tie-break.

Nadal comfortably reached his 15th Madrid quarter-final with a 6-3 6-3 win over world number 76 Alexei Popyrin.

Facing the 21-year-old Australian for the first time, Nadal won four of his six break points as he moved closer to a record-extending sixth title in the Spanish capital.

Austria's Dominic Thiem, Madrid finalist in 2017 and 2018, also reached the quarter-finals after beating Australia's Alex de Minaur 7-6 (9-7) 6-4.

US Open champion Thiem will face USA's John Isner in the last eight after the world number 39 beat Russia's sixth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-4) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).

World number three Daniil Medvedev continued to struggle on clay with a 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1 defeat by Chilean 16th seed Cristian Garin.

There was also an upset for fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas as the Greek was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 by Norweigan world number 22 Casper Ruud.

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