The Spanish Rafael Nadal appeared at the Australian Open as the leader of the world rankings and as number one he will leave it, whatever happens now, after sealing his pass to the quarterfinals, while the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov left out of fights the last ‘aussie’ player, Nick Kyrgios.
Nadal left a set for the first time this year at Melbourne Park, but beat Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3. His legs added three hours and 51 minutes of presence on the track in the toughest meeting he has had this year at this venue, but he was happy.
«It was a good test. I’d rather win in two hours than do it in four but, to be honest, I think that a game like today’s will help me to have more confidence in myself and in my body, “he confessed after his victory against ‘Peque’ Schwartzman, the opponent who he demanded more of him in this edition of the tournament.
His previous duels against the Dominican Víctor Estrella Burgos, the Argentine Leonardo Mayer and the Bosnian Damir Dzumhur he solved them in three sets. Against Diego Schwartzman he needed one more.
In that last stake, Nadal played the pass to the quarterfinals but also his permanence in the first place of the world ranking.
Whatever his ceiling in the first Grand Slam of the season, Nadal will say goodbye to Melbourne at the head of the world rankings. The Swiss Roger Federer, his executioner last year in the final, has no chance of catching him now. It would not be worth it to even reissue the title, given the presence of Nadal in the quarterfinals.
The first seed will find himself in that phase with the Croatian Marin Cilic, who this Sunday dismounted the also Spanish Pablo Carreño by a tight 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (7) and 7-6 ( 3).
The next will be the seventh meeting between Cilic and Nadal, dominating the head-to-head by 5-1. The only setback for the Balearic Islands occurred in a distant 2009, in their first meeting, in the semi-finals of the Beijing tournament.
Dimitrov walks in the same part of Nadal’s box, who with his victory against Kyrgios by 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6 and 7-6 (4) left the Australian Open for another year , without the possibility of being able to celebrate the national day -this Friday- with any of its representatives in the individual tables.
Dimitrov, semifinalist last year against Rafael Nadal, in a match that the Spaniard described as a “slaughter”, and which could be repeated this year in the same instance, because both are going for the same part of the table, resisted the reaction of Kyrgios, to prevail in a very tough match, in three hours and 26 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.
Kyrgios, recent winner in Brisbane, scored 36 direct aces, reappeared strongly when winning the third set, but could not keep his concentration in the tiebreaker of the fourth, which the ‘Maestro’ of 2017 scored with a great forehand.
The Bulgarian will face the British Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals, who previously beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2 and 6-3, and achieved the quarterfinals for the first time in his career. end of a Grand Slam, making history for his country.
In the women’s team, the Spanish Carla Suárez won, 4-6, 6-4 and 8-6, the Estonian Anett Kontaveit, to sign the quarterfinals for the third time in Melbourne, after coming back from a match in which she was two say goodbye games (4-6 and 1-4).
“My team told me all the time: ‘be aggressive, be aggressive.’ I think that has allowed me to turn the game around, “analyzed the Spanish, who won 4-6, 6-4 and 8-6.
Carla will face the Danish Caroline Wozniacki, two of the world, who beat the Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova, semifinalist last year at Wimbledon, by 6-3 and 6-0.
The Danish only suffered in the second round against the Croatian Jana Fett (3-6, 6-2 and 7-5). In her debut she beat the Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2 and 6-3 and in the third round she beat the Dutch Kiki Bertens, 6-4 and 6-3, and is one of the players who can snatch the position from number one to the Romanian Simona Halep.
If Wozniacki reaches the semifinals and Halep, who faces Japan’s Naomi Osaka on Monday, does not reach the quarterfinals, the Dane would be closer to that achievement.
“I know her because we have played many times together,” said Carla Suárez. “I know that a tough game awaits me because she fights every ball and, at the same time, can be very aggressive,” he analyzed.
The last previous duel, last year on clay in Madrid, fell on his side. On that surface he also won in Sttutgart (Germany), in 2013. Now he hopes to do it on the Melbourne plexicushion. “I’m focused on giving one hundred percent to beat Caroline again,” Suárez warned.
Also in the quarterfinals is the Belgian Elise Mertens, 37 in the world, who started the season with the successful defense of her title in Hobart and who defeated the Croatian Petra Martic 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Mertens will face in that round with the winner of the match between the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, fourth seed, and the Czech Denisa Allertova. EFE.
Nadal left a set for the first time this year at Melbourne Park, but beat Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3. His legs added three hours and 51 minutes of presence on the track in the toughest meeting he has had this year at this venue, but he was happy.
«It was a good test. I’d rather win in two hours than do it in four but, to be honest, I think that a game like today’s will help me to have more confidence in myself and in my body, “he confessed after his victory against ‘Peque’ Schwartzman, the opponent who he demanded more of him in this edition of the tournament.
His previous duels against the Dominican Víctor Estrella Burgos, the Argentine Leonardo Mayer and the Bosnian Damir Dzumhur he solved them in three sets. Against Diego Schwartzman he needed one more.
In that last stake, Nadal played the pass to the quarterfinals but also his permanence in the first place of the world ranking.
Whatever his ceiling in the first Grand Slam of the season, Nadal will say goodbye to Melbourne at the head of the world rankings. The Swiss Roger Federer, his executioner last year in the final, has no chance of catching him now. It would not be worth it to even reissue the title, given the presence of Nadal in the quarterfinals.
The first seed will find himself in that phase with the Croatian Marin Cilic, who this Sunday dismounted the also Spanish Pablo Carreño by a tight 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (7) and 7-6 ( 3).
The next will be the seventh meeting between Cilic and Nadal, dominating the head-to-head by 5-1. The only setback for the Balearic Islands occurred in a distant 2009, in their first meeting, in the semi-finals of the Beijing tournament.
Dimitrov walks in the same part of Nadal’s box, who with his victory against Kyrgios by 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6 and 7-6 (4) left the Australian Open for another year , without the possibility of being able to celebrate the national day -this Friday- with any of its representatives in the individual tables.
Dimitrov, semifinalist last year against Rafael Nadal, in a match that the Spaniard described as a “slaughter”, and which could be repeated this year in the same instance, because both are going for the same part of the table, resisted the reaction of Kyrgios, to prevail in a very tough match, in three hours and 26 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.
Kyrgios, recent winner in Brisbane, scored 36 direct aces, reappeared strongly when winning the third set, but could not keep his concentration in the tiebreaker of the fourth, which the ‘Maestro’ of 2017 scored with a great forehand.
The Bulgarian will face the British Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals, who previously beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2 and 6-3, and achieved the quarterfinals for the first time in his career. end of a Grand Slam, making history for his country.
In the women’s team, the Spanish Carla Suárez won, 4-6, 6-4 and 8-6, the Estonian Anett Kontaveit, to sign the quarterfinals for the third time in Melbourne, after coming back from a match in which she was two say goodbye games (4-6 and 1-4).
“My team told me all the time: ‘be aggressive, be aggressive.’ I think that has allowed me to turn the game around, “analyzed the Spanish, who won 4-6, 6-4 and 8-6.
Carla will face the Danish Caroline Wozniacki, two of the world, who beat the Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova, semifinalist last year at Wimbledon, by 6-3 and 6-0.
The Danish only suffered in the second round against the Croatian Jana Fett (3-6, 6-2 and 7-5). In her debut she beat the Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2 and 6-3 and in the third round she beat the Dutch Kiki Bertens, 6-4 and 6-3, and is one of the players who can snatch the position from number one to the Romanian Simona Halep.
If Wozniacki reaches the semifinals and Halep, who faces Japan’s Naomi Osaka on Monday, does not reach the quarterfinals, the Dane would be closer to that achievement.
“I know her because we have played many times together,” said Carla Suárez. “I know that a tough game awaits me because she fights every ball and, at the same time, can be very aggressive,” he analyzed.
The last previous duel, last year on clay in Madrid, fell on his side. On that surface he also won in Sttutgart (Germany), in 2013. Now he hopes to do it on the Melbourne plexicushion. “I’m focused on giving one hundred percent to beat Caroline again,” Suárez warned.
Also in the quarterfinals is the Belgian Elise Mertens, 37 in the world, who started the season with the successful defense of her title in Hobart and who defeated the Croatian Petra Martic 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Mertens will face in that round with the winner of the match between the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, fourth seed, and the Czech Denisa Allertova. EFE.