Rafa Nadal moved closer to another tennis title on Wednesday, advancing to the quarter-finals at the Beijing Olympics.

The current world number 2, (till Monday the 18th that is) dominated the match, which he won in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 in Beijing over Igor Andreev.

Rafa was challnged by Andreev in the first set. With both players battling in the muggy conditions, Rafael finally broke a 3-3 tie following a frantic baseline exchange. Leading 5-4, Rafa then thwarted four break points to keep the Russian at bay.

Deflated, Andreev was broken twice early in the second set and never threatened again.

Rafa will now face Austria's Jurgen Melzer, a straight-sets winner over Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun. "I am playing close to my best level," Rafa said. "My goal is try to continuing playing like this."

Rafa has won the last two Grand Slam events, including his epic five-set thriller over Federer at Wimbledon. He has also won five of his last six tournaments.

Going for gold

Rafael silenced his critics who questioned his hardcourt skills after capturing the Rogers Cup in Toronto in July. Once considered just the king of clay, the 22-year-old Spaniard has shown his versatility by winning on any surface.

"Not only does Rafael own a plethora of attacking shots, he is without question the best defender on tour," said CBC Sports tennis analyst Mike Cvitkovic.

"In speaking with him in July at the Rogers Cup, Rafa said he still feels that he has a long way to go in becoming a complete player. While the top ranking may be in the cards this year, his next goal is to win a gold medal in Beijing."