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The five-time champion at Madrid saved four match points against the Belgian en route to a gripping 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (11/9) victory in the Spanish capital.
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On Wednesday, Real Madrid scored in extra time to stun City 3-1 to set up a Champions League final with Liverpool on May 28 in Stade de France, Paris.
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The 35-year-old will now face fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz in what is expected to be a high-octane quarter-final. Seventh seed Alcaraz celebrated his 19th birthday with a battling 6-4, 6-7(4/7), 6-3 victory over British world number 11 Cameron Norrie. The Spaniard believes he will have it all to do against Nadal, saying the 21-time Grand Slam winner "has a thousand lives".
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"I dream of being the best, and I fight for it. And to be the best, you have to beat the best. I believe that I am ready for this challenge," the teenager added.
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The Spanish ace is 2-0 against Alcaraz, having defeated the teen phenom in Madrid last year and at Indian Wells in March. "I think that today, he is better than me, and he has a good dynamic, a good momentum," Nadal said of Alcaraz, who is riding a seven-match winning streak that includes a title run in Barcelona.
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"I'm clear who, from the beginning, has some kind of advantage in tomorrow's match. But in that regard, I will try to do as much as possible to be competitive," Nadal concluded.