RIO DE JANEIRO: World number one Rafael Nadal breezed into the quarter-finals of the $1.3 million ATP Rio Open on Thursday but admitted afterwards that he was still feeling the effects of a back injury.
Nadal, in his first event since losing last month´s Australian Open final, needed only 74 minutes to rout Spanish compatriot Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2 and book a date against Portugal´s 48th-ranked Joao Sousa, who eliminated 87th-rated Spaniard Albert Ramos 7-6 (8/6), 2-6, 6-3.Nadal wore elastic tape across his lower back during the match and said the injury he suffered in losing the championship match at Melbourne to Stanislas Wawrinka still nags him.
