Tennis

Nadal beats Sela, advances to 4th round at Australian Open

Published Jan. 23, 2015 6:46 a.m. ET

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Rafael Nadal beat Israel's Dudi Sela 6-1, 6-0, 7-5 on Friday to advance to the fourth round at the Australian Open, spending two fewer hours on court than he did in his previous match.

On Wednesday, Nadal needed five sets and 4 hours, 12 minutes to beat American qualifier Tim Smyczek. Ahead of the tournament, he insisted he was not match fit in the wake of a right wrist injury and appendix surgery that sidelined him for much of the last half of 2014.

Nadal looked in strong form Friday, however, breaking Sela's serve in the opening game of the 2 hour, 4-minute match to advance to a fourth-rounder against Kevin Anderson of South Africa on Sunday.

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