Tennis-Nadal survives epic opening set tie-breaker to defeat Mannarino

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 23, 2022 France's Adrian Mannarino in action during his fourth round match against Spain's Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Morgan Sette

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Rafa Nadal survived a mammoth first-set tiebreaker before going on to beat fellow lefty Adrian Mannarino 7-6(14) 6-2 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday, remaining on course for a men's record 21st Grand Slam title.

Nadal and the Frenchman traded blows from the baseline during an engrossing 30-point tiebreaker lasting almost half an hour. The opening set lasted one hour and 21 minutes.