McEnroe's 49-set winning streak came on carpet in 1984; Nadal will play Austria's Dominic Thiem on Friday for a place in the last four in Madrid Open.
Friday 11 May 2018 14:03, UK
World No 1 Rafael Nadal surpassed John McEnroe's all-time record of 49 straight sets won on a single surface after beating Diego Schwartzman in Madrid.
Nadal beat Argentina's Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 on the clay to take his winning set streak to 50 and eclipse McEnroe's total which the American achieved on carpet in 1984.
Nadal, who is looking for a sixth career Madrid Open title, broke Schwartzman in the sixth game of each set and appeared to be on course for a comfortable win.
World No 16 Schwartzman served up a minor scare by breaking back for 4-4 in the second set, but Nadal responded immediately and closed out for a history-making win.
Sky Sports pundit Greg Rusedski was impressed with the height Nadal has been putting on the ball in Madrid in order to wear down his opponents, while Leif Shiras believes he is "more aggressive than he has ever been".
Rafa has made major improvements in his game, really using angles well, and when he gets the short-ball he comes forward and is willing to knock off the volley.
"I think Rafa was clever with the height he was putting on the ball with the depth. This week he's been hitting more through the ball and by having this sort of height he pushing Schwartzman back and forcing him to take it on the rise," said the former British No 1. "From there on in he was just absolutely brilliant.
"Rafa has made major improvements in his game, really using angles well, and when he gets the short-ball he comes forward and is willing to knock off the volley."
World No 6 Juan Martin del Potro crashed out after Serbia's Dusan Lajovic came back from a set down to beat the Argentine 3-6 6-4 7-6 (8-6) to reach the quarter-finals.
Del Potro looked in complete control as he converted two break-point opportunities to take the opening set but Lajovic, ranked 95 in the world, dug deep to stay in the contest.
A break midway through the second set was enough for Lajovic to force a decider before he wrapped up his first career victory over a top-10 opponent in the tie-break.
In the last eight, Lajovic will meet South Africa's Kevin Anderson who overcame German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-6 (9-7).
The Masters 1000 Series continues throughout this week with our coverage of the ATP Madrid Open quarter-finals on Sky Sports Arena starting from midday.
Keep up to date with the latest on www.skysports.com/tennis with news, previews, live blogs, reports and expert analysis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass. You'll get exclusive coverage of the Premier League, Sky Bet EFL, EFL Cup and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.
