Nadal tested in a 3-hour win over Cachin at Madrid. Swiatek reaches the women's quarterfinals

MADRID (AP) — After spending more than three hours on the court and earning a hard-fought victory, Rafael Nadal was feeling optimistic again.

Nadal's body withstood its toughest test yet at this Madrid Open in a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over 91st-ranked Pedro Cachin on Monday.

He didn't show any signs of physical limitations in a victory that earned him a spot in the round of 16 at the clay-court tournament where he is the record five-time champion.

“It’s positive, now I don’t feel that something went wrong on my body, but I need to wait until tomorrow, being 100% honest,” he said. “I am trying my best to keep dreaming. Tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming. To keep playing in front of this amazing crowd and, to me, that means everything.”

Nadal will next face 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka. He said he needs “to find a way to be able to play days in a row and still be competitive.”

“I don’t know if I am in that moment yet,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said. “Let’s see what can happen tomorrow."

The 37-year-old Nadal is trying to get in shape for next month's French Open. Since his latest injury layoff, he's had two matches in Barcelona and was pessimistic about his physical condition after arriving in Madrid. But he's won three more times in the capital.

Nadal again looked comfortable early on against Cachin. The Argentine rallied in the second but was broken twice while serving for the set before eventually prevailing in the tiebreaker.

Nadal didn’t look as loose in the final set, but did look tired. He wasn't as consistent with his shots but picked up three breaks to seal the victory to the delight of the local crowd in the Caja Magica.

“I took more risks in the third set, but it’s hard after so many months without competing,” Nadal said. “I hadn’t played a match like this in a long time. I don’t know how I’m going to wake up. But I’m already happy for having won three matches in a row.”

Cachin asked for Nadal's shirt after congratulating him at the net, and received the gift moments later.

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner was not at his best but had enough to defeat Pavel Kotov 6-2, 7-5. Sinner, who has been dealing with a hip issue, will face 16th-seeded Karen Khachanov.

“I have been struggling a little bit with my right hip,” Sinner said. “We’re trying to find a solution and I don’t think it’s anything serious. Sometimes I feel it more like today and some days are a little bit better."

Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev was two points from defeat before he rallied to beat Sebastian Korda 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Fifth-seeded Casper Ruud beat Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-4.

KEYS DOWNS GAUFF

Madison Keys rallied after trailing in the first and second sets to beat Coco Gauff 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 in an all-American fourth-round meeting.

It will be the 20th-ranked Keys' first quarterfinal appearance in Madrid. She lost in the first round in seven of her nine previous trips to the Spanish capital.

The third-seeded Gauff undermined herself with 38 unforced errors, including 13 double faults.

Keys will face eighth-seeded Ons Jabeur, who eased past Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-4.

SWIATEK ADVANCES

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek remained on track for a first Madrid title with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Swiatek dropped just five points in the second set en route to the quarterfinals of the only high-profile European clay tournament she is yet to win.

The 27th-ranked Sorribes Tormo was the last Spanish woman in the draw.

Swiatek, who lost last year’s Madrid final to Aryna Sabalenka, will next face 11th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia, who defeated fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-4.

Sabalenka, the champion in Madrid in 2021 and 2023, advanced by beating No. 15 Danielle Collins 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The result ended Collins' 15-match winning streak, and sent Sabalenka into her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of the season.

Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 17th birthday with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over 12th-seeded Jasmine Paolini. The Russian teenager rallied from 5-2 down in the first set to reach the quarterfinals, a round further than she managed in Madrid a year ago.

Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina defeated teenage qualifier Sara Bejlek 6-1, 6-3.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after winning a point against Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts against Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland returns the ball to Sara Sorribes of Spain during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts after defeating Sara Sorribes of Spain during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts after defeating Sara Sorribes of Spain during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Pedro Cachin of Argentina returns the ball to Rafael Nadal of Spain during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain watches his shot against Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Pedro Cachin of Argentina during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A bus carrying farmworkers to a watermelon field in central Florida was sideswiped by a drunk driver and overturned in a field, killing eight people and injuring dozens of others, authorities said.

The man accused of causing Tuesday's crash has a lengthy driving record and is being held in jail without bond.

The farmworkers were from Mexico, working on seasonal or temporary visas. Some of their names were released Wednesday afternoon.

Here’s what to know about the crash.

Around 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday, a 2001 Ford Ranger driven by Bryan Howard, 41, crossed the center line of State Road 40 and sideswiped a bus carrying 53 farmworkers to a watermelon patch at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. The bus veered off the two-lane road that passes through horse farms, hit a tree and rolled over.

The crash happened about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Orlando.

All eight people killed were in the U.S. from Mexico on H-2A farmworker visas, officials said.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday morning that 44 Mexican citizens were on the bus, hired by a Mexican-American farmer to work on the watermelon farm under temporary or seasonal visas. Mexico’s government later said six of the injured were in serious condition and three more were in critical condition.

Lucas Benitez, the co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, said Wednesday that it learned from the Mexican consulate that the farmworkers who were killed were from at least five different states in Mexico.

Six of the dead have been identified: Evarado Ventura Hernández, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sánchez, 20; Isaías Miranda Pascal, 21; José Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; and Manuel Pérez Ríos, 46.

Gamaliel Marcel, of Tallahassee, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he and Salazar Villeda were childhood friends in Mexico. Salazar Villeda got married in March and the couple had a 5-year-old daughter, Marcel added.

“I feel so bad, especially because I knew him my whole life,” he said. “He was always the most respectful but brought out a smile when you needed it.”

The Mexican consulate in Orlando was providing support at the AdventHealth Ocala hospital, where many of the injured were taken.

Andres Sequera, a director of mission and ministry for AdventHealth hospitals, said chaplains were visiting the injured workers, and that they “were in good spirits for what they have been through.”

Farms across Florida use about 50,000 H-2A workers each year, more than any other state, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

The workers travel to Florida on seasonal or temporary visas to harvest farm fruits and vegetables.

These workers were in Marion County, which is in the north-central part of Florida. The county is best known for its rolling countryside, which stands out from much of the state's typical flat geography. Thoroughbred horse farms are common in the hills outside of Ocala, which is the largest city in the region. Interstate 75 also cuts through Marion County.

Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, was arrested hours after the crash and remained jailed without bond in Ocala.

At a brief court appearance on Wednesday morning, Howard pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence-manslaughter charges in the deaths of eight farmworkers. He spoke by teleconference from jail.

An arrest report said Howard had bloodshot and watery eyes and slurred speech after the crash, which he told Florida Highway Patrol troopers he didn’t remember.

Howard also told investigators he had crashed his mother’s car into a tree a few days earlier while avoiding an animal. The report said Howard had smoked marijuana oil and took his prescribed medications before bed — two anti-seizure drugs and another for high blood pressure. Five hours later, he was driving to a methadone clinic where he receives daily medication for a chipped vertebra.

Troopers had arrested Howard after he failed several sobriety tests.

Howard told the judge he's a self-employed painter and drywall installer. He said he had $700 in the bank, no other assets and no dependents.

On Wednesday, his head was bandaged and he wore a protective gown typically given to inmates on suicide watch. The judge denied bond, appointed a public defender and set his next court appearance for next month. The public defender's office declined to comment about the case.

Marion County court records show Howard has had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006. He was cited previously for crossing the center line, and his driver's license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year.

In 2013, he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.

A memorial service for the victims was held Wednesday evening outside the Farmworker Association of Florida office north of Orlando in Apopka. About two dozen people gathered, some holding white crosses with the names of the people killed, and sang songs in Spanish.

AP reporters Adriana Gómez Licón in Miami and Mike Schneider in Apopka contributed.

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Highway Patrol Cpl. Brett Detweiler takes pictures of the pick up truck that was involved in the crash scene as emergency workers worked the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)

Emergency workers work the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)

This photo provided by Marion County Jail shows Bryan Howard. The Florida Highway Patrol arrested Howard, the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the farmworker bus on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Marion County Jail via AP)

Florida Highway Patrol Cpl. Brett Detweiler takes pictures of the crash scene as emergency workers are on the scene of a fatal bus crash carrying laborers that overturned Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. The driver of the pick up, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. The driver of the pick up, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)