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After being in a comfortable position on the scoreboard, Rafael Nadal has received a direct pass into the quarter finals of the Australian Open after his opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu retired hurt.

The world number two had a commanding lead 6-4 3-0 before Mathieu ended the encounter, having already received treatment twice during the match for a suspected calf injury.

The forty-nine minute match between Nadal and Mathieu was substantial shorter than highlighted matches from Saturday, with Roger Federer being on court for almost four and a half hours, and Lleyton Hewitt for almost five hours; Hewitt’s third round encounter did not conclude until 4.30am. Both ultimately progressed through to the fourth round, and will play their respective opponents for quarter final berths on Monday.

Rafael Nadal (2) def Paul-Henri Mathieu (23): 6-4 3-0 retired

Nadal will now play number twenty-four seed Jarko Nieminen for a spot in the semi finals.

For the latest news and results from the 2008 Australian Open, simply click on the Australian Open tag below.

Tags: Australian Open, Tennis