Nadal’s secured his spot in the next Sony Open round

Spain’s Rafael Nadal has secured his place in the quarter finals of the Sony Open after beating Italy’s No. 1 Fabio Fognini in Miami.

The world’s No.1 defeated the 14th seed in straight sets and is in with a chance of winning the Sony Open for the first time.

Nadal, 27, who has been a runner-up three times in this tournament, wrapped up the match in just over an hour.

In the first set the tennis ace did not lose a single point on serve, with his opponent, who was not on top form, pushed to the limit by the top seed’s powerful groundstrokes.

The 13-time grand slam champion is set to face 12th seed Milos Raonic in the tournament’s last eight.

Spain’s Ferrer lost a difficult contest against Japanese 20th seed Kei Nishikori, who won 7-6, (9/7), 2-6, 7-6, (11/9).