Barty sweeps into quarterfinals, Nadal gathers strength

For a player who was all doom and gloom about his fitness on the eve of the Australian Open, Rafa Nadal emerged as an unlikely pillar of strength on day eight as injuries cut a swathe through the men's draw yesterday. Nadal's bid for a record 21st Grand Slam crown gathered pace with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 demolition of Fabio Fognini that pushed the Spaniard into his 13th quarter-final at Melbourne Park.

Meanwhile, world number one Ash Barty made light of the challenge of unseeded American Shelby Rogers to reach the quarterfinals for the third year in a row with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory.