The Spaniard needed just 23 minutes to bagel his Georgian opponent in the third set, while a whitewash appeared to be on the cards as he raced ahead in the second.

No player has achieved a ‘triple-bagel’ in a Grand Slam since Sergi Bruguera did just that to Thierry Champion at Roland Garros in 1993, and Basilashvili’s blushes were spared when he took the sixth game of the second set.

Nadal shrugged off the momentary blip to take a two-set lead, while he raced through the final set to win after one hour and 30 minutes on court.

“I had a couple of plays in my head of how to play against him,” Basilashvili said. The 6-0 6-1 6-0 scoreline amply illustrates how that went.

“I was expecting, obviously, a very, very difficult match, but not something like this,” he added. “The score is quite embarrassing, you know, but I have to accept it.”

Fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut awaits Nadal in the fourth round, with the 17th seed brushing aside Jiri Vesely 6-3 6-4 6-3.

Nadal is yet to drop a set in his hunt for La Decima, while he has lost serve on just two occasions in three matches.