Rafael Nadal dodges low-flying aircraft during Miami Open victory

Rafael Nadal had little trouble getting past French veteran Nicolas Mahut in the fourth round of the Miami Open on Tuesday. However, Nadal was seemingly caught off guard when a low-flying plane hovered over Crandon Park and forced the 14-time Grand Slam champion to duck for cover.

The incident occurred during the midway stage of the second set when Nadal and Mahut were taking a drink before changing ends. The aircraft, which cruised at a dangerously low altitude over Key Biscayne, sent Nadal into panic mode, forcing the Spaniard to crane his neck, eliciting gasps from the capacity crowd in the Stadium Arena.

Since television stations went on a commercial break, there is no official footage of the incident. Soon after the drinks interval, Nadal got back to business to win three of the next five points to close out the match with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory, advancing to the quarterfinals stage of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.

Rejuvenated Rafael Nadal serving better than ever

Nadal won 92 percent of his first-serve points Wednesday and never faced a solitary break point during the 95-minute contest. In recent months, the Spaniard is beginning to rely on his service game, a skill that he rarely relied upon during his dominant years in the sport. The fifth-seedd Nadal will now face American Jack Sock in the quarter-finals. Sock reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells and is currently in red-hot form.

With Roger Federer also through to the quarters, there's a likelihood for another Federer vs Nadal final on Sunday. The archrivals have already squared off twice this year, the 2017 Australian Open final followed by a fourth-round contest at the BNP Paribas Open earlier this month. Federer won on both occasions.

"I think it is a good start of the year for both of us. Obviously a little bit better for him. But at the same time, I am happy the way that I am playing, happy the way that I started the year after a tough second part of the year last year with injuries. So I think it's positive for both of us that we can still be around here and be very competitive almost every week we're playing," Nadal said when asked to compare his ongoing ATP season with Federer's blazing start to 2017.

Sock, 24, impressed during his Indian Well semi-final showdown against Federer and hopes to do the same against Nadal on Thursday. “The more matches you win the better you feel, the more confident you ar. Physically, mentally (I've) never felt better or stronger, so just excited for the rest of the year," Sock told reporters after his victory on Tuesday, via ATPWorldTour.com.

Rafael Nadal, a four-time finalist at Key Biscayne, is eyeing his first-ever Miami Open crown. Roger Federer, a former two-time Miami Open champion, is attempting to win his 91st career title after capturing the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells last week.