Rafael Nadal makes opponent's dream come true with classy ...

Rafael Nadal showed his class by giving Pedro Cachin a moment to remember after beating him at the Madrid Open.

Nadal had to work hard to earn a three-set victory over his Argentine opponent, to set up a meeting with Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16.

Nadal raced to a comfortable 6-1 triumph in the opening set before being pegged back when Cachin levelled things up with a tiebreak win in the second. But Nadal took the third to claim a 6-1 6-7 6-3 victory.

And there was a heartwarming moment at the end of the match, as Nadal and Cachin exchanged pleasantries at the net, with the latter asking Nadal if he could keep one of his shirts or a towel as a souvenir. Nadal, 37, duly obliged.

"Thank you very much, you fulfilled my dream, thank you," said Cachin. "I don't know if you can but I want to ask you, can I keep your shirt or towel or something?"

Nadal responded: "Yes, I'll give it to you now, it would be more necessary. Good luck with everything."

Speaking after the match, Nadal said on his own performance: "I had good moments, some bad moments," said Nadal afterwards. "I somehow found a way to get through.

"In the third set, even with some mistakes, I was able to be unpredictable and that changed the match. I'm enjoying playing, let's see how I wake up tomorrow."

"Playing at home means everything to me. Tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming and playing in front of this amazing crowd, that means everything to me."

Nadal will be hoping to secure his place in the Madrid Open quarter-finals with victory over Lehecka on Tuesday. The 22-year-old advanced through his previous encounter in straight sets, beating Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro, who earlier in the tournament surprised everyone by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas.