By Chris Oddo | Thursday January 5, 2016

The lead-up to the Australian Open is about being tested mentally and physically and Rafael Nadal is about to experience his first massive test on Friday at the Brisbane International.

More: Svitolina Upsets World No.1 Kerber in Brisbane

The 14-time major champion eased past Germany’s Mischa Zverev, 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday to set up a quarterfinal with No.3-seeded Milos Raonic.

Raonic cruised past Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-2.

“He’s one of the toughest opponents on tour today, without a doubt,” Nadal said of Raonic. “He's the World No. 3. His serve is huge, and he improved a lot from the baseline, too. It's a match that you cannot do too many mistakes if you want to really have any chance.”

Mistakes were kept at a minimum for Nadal on Thursday as he dropped just eight points on serve and saved both break points he faced to defeat the World No.51 in 55 minutes.

Despite a 47 percent first-serve percentage, Nadal was able to win 15 of 18 first-serve points and an impressive 15 of 20 behind his second serve.

Zverev had two break points in the third game of the match but they were quickly snuffed out by Nadal.

Nadal would break in the next game and continue on with a seven-game streak that took him to 6-1, 2-0. Zverev managed another hold but Nadal would close out the match winning the final four games, closing affairs with a backhand return winner.

Our Take: Nadal was on point from the very beginning of this match. He struck the forehand with authority and had pretty good pop on his serve. Raonic will be an entirely different animal but Nadal certainly did himself a favor by getting on and off the court in less than an hour on Thursday. He also helped himself from a confidence standpoint as he hit comfortable winners throughout the match and did not lose concentration at any point.

This may not be a significant win for Nadal, but it is one that will allow him to face the challenge of Raonic with full confidence and well-rested. It matters a lot over the course of a week that Nadal can get these kind of dominant wins.

Thiem Sets Dimitrov Clash: Dominic Thiem ousted Sam Groth to set up an enticing quarterfinal with Grigor Dimitrov. Thiem won their only meeting at Acapulco last season in straight sets.

Dimitrov has been in good form in Brisbane. He has defeated Steve Johnson and Nicolas Mahut without dropping a set.

Notes, Numbers:

Nadal has not won a hardcourt title since 2014 in Doha.

Nadal owns a 6-1 lifetime record against Raonic (5-1 on hardcourts), but they have not met since 2015.

Nadal has won 25 of 36 second-serve points (69.4 %) in his first two wins at Brisbane.