Nadal scorches into Wimbledon second week

LONDON - Rafa Nadal kept up his bid for a third Wimbledon and French Open double, putting on an ominous show to beat Karen Khachanov 6-1 6-4 7-6(3) on Friday on Centre Court and reach the last 16.

The Spanish fourth seed scorched his way through the first set, threatening to sizzle the parched Centre Court grass with the pace of some of his shots, and while the Russian 30th seed regrouped in sets two and three, the damage had been done.

A rejuvenated Nadal, 31, won this year's French Open, his 10th title there, without dropping a set and has kept up the pace at Wimbledon as he aims to covert that red-hot clay form to the grass to claim his first grasscourt slam title since 2010.

Khachanov came close to pushing him into a fourth set, reaching set point in the 12th game of the third set, but Nadal was too strong and accurate at the net and from the baseline. — Reuters