Australian Open 2020: Nadal's Win, Pliskova's Upset Highlight Saturday's Results

Rafael Nadal is safely through to the fourth round of the 2020 Australian Open after a routine win over Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday.

The top seed found his groove early in the contest and was able to coast to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory at the Rod Laver Arena.

He will face Nick Kyrgios in the next round, who overcame Karen Khachanov in a five-set epic later in the day. 

There was no easy passage for Karolina Pliskova, though, as the second seed in the women's draw was upset in straight sets by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Sixth seed Belinda Bencic was also eliminated, winning just one game against Anett Kontaveit.

Elsewhere, there was a win for Dominic Thiem, with the fifth seed able to overcome Taylor Fritz in four sets, while Daniil Medvedev progressed at the expense of Alexei Popyrin.

Read on for standout early results in Melbourne and a recap of some of the day's best moments.

Australian Open - Saturday Results

Men's Draw

(1) Rafael Nadal bt. Pablo Carreno Busta: 6-1, 6-2, 6-4

(4) Daniil Medvedev bt. Alexei Popyrin: 6-4, 6-3, 6-2

(5) Dominic Thiem bt. (29) Taylor Fritz: 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4

(7) Alexander Zverev bt. Fernando Verdasco: 6-2, 6-2, 6-4

(10) Gael Monfils bt. Ernests Gulbis: 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-3

(15) Stanislas Wawrinka bt. (19) John Isner: 6-4, 4-1 (ret.)

(17) Andrey Rublev bt. (11) David Goffin: 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (4)

(23) Nick Kyrgios bt. Karen Khachanov: 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8)

Women's Draw

(30) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova bt. (2) Karolina Pliskova: 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3)

(4) Simona Halep bt. Yulia Putintseva: 6-1, 6-4

Garbine Muguruza bt. (5) Elina Svitolina: 6-1, 6-2

(28) Anett Kontaveit bt. (6) Belinda Bencic: 6-0, 6-1

(9) Kiki Bertens bt. Zarina Dyas: 6-2, 7-6 (3)

(16) Elise Mertens bt. Cici Bellis: 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0

(17) Angelique Kerber bt. Camila Giorgi: 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3

Iga Swiatek bt. (19) Donna Vekic: 7-5, 6-3

Saturday Recap

There have been few issues for Nadal down under, and he continued his excellent start to the competition with a high-class performance on Saturday.

From the first set, it was clear this was going to be an uphill task for Carreno Busta, with Nadal's forehand quickly dictating the majority of points. After taking just one game in the opening set, the underdog was always unlikely to find a way back.

Per the ATP Media Info Twitter account, Nadal is making a habit of getting through the first week of the competition with minimal fuss:

After his win, Nadal detailed how he spent the previous night watching Roger Federer's epic win over John Millman:

Kyrgios is next up for Nadal, after he overcame Khachanov in an epic encounter. After winning the first two sets, the former was pegged back by his gallant opponent, setting up a deciding stanza.

In it, Kyrgios eventually had too much for his opponent, getting over the line in a tiebreak. David Law of BBC Radio 5 Live praised both players after four-and-a-half hours of pulsating tennis:

Following on from a day of shocks on Friday, there were more surprises on Saturday in the women's draw, with Pliskova's hopes being dashed.

She was involved in two tight sets against Pavlyuchenkova, with a tiebreak needed to decide each of them. Pliskova was unable to play to her best at the crunch point in either stanza, though, meaning her wait for Grand Slam glory goes on.

Per WTA Insider, the second seed was in despondent mood afterward:

Bencic was also eliminated, with the Swiss a long way below her best in the defeat to Kontaveit, who was the dominant force throughout the contest.

The 2016 champion Angelique Kerber is through, with the German able to hold off Camila Giorgi in three sets. Fourth seed Simona Halep continues to look imperious, too, breezing past Yulia Putintseva.