Rafael Nadal, world number one, qualified Friday to the quarterfinals of the Tokyo tournament by winning a double 6-4 victory over Canadian Milos Raonic
Nadal will face in that round to Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who on Wednesday defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
The player cost Balearic get on with the game against Raonic, born in Podgorica (Montenegro), of only nineteen, whose main characteristic is that it has a service very powerful.
Real Madrid fan and the Toronto Raptors of the NBA, and that is the American tennis hero Pete Sampras, the Canadian was very uncomfortable as a rival on the fast track in Tokyo.
Nadal, however, was able to hold on to the track and showed why he is number one in the world, took advantage of the two breaking balls he had and saved the five Raonic granted.
The Canadian player started the match with three-aces- in the first game, but in the third, on his second serve, and was not as accurate and Nadal took advantage to break the service and railroaded the first round, which took 6-4 in 35 minutes.
In the second did not change the picture. Services prevailed until the sixth game Raonic had four ball break, but Nadal saved the first one 15-40 and then two advantages of its rival.
The next game the Spanish struck the final blow was situío with 4-3 and did not abandon his advantage to win the match in one hour and thirteen minutes with a double 6-4.
Nor failed American Andy Roddick, second seed, who broke into another closely fought match of France's Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 7-6 (4).
His next opponent will be another Frenchman, Gael Monfils, seeded fifth, who beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Guillermo Garcia-Lopez will meet in rooms with Serbian Viktor Troicki, who won the Austrian Jurgen Melzer, seeded fourth, by 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (3), coming back from a 2-5 deficit in the third and last race.