‘The dream is still alive!’ Rafael Nadal passes Russian test as he books a place in the fourth round of Australian Open 2022
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal, sixth seed at Australian Open 2022 defeated Karen Khachanov in four sets in the third round on Friday. This was Nadal’s toughest challenge so far, as he was pushes to four sets by the Russian. However, in the end, it was very professional from the Spaniard, as he closed out the game in the fourth set.
Rafael Nadal defeated Karen Khachanov by a score-line of 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in just under 3 hours at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday night. Nadal had a hiccup in the third set, as he made way too many unforced errors, after a blistering start to the match.
Rafael Nadal will now face the winner of the match between Aslan Karatsev and Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round on Sunday. The Spaniard is chasing his 2nd Australian Open title and a record 21st major title.
Rafael Nadal moves into the second week of Australian Open 2022
Rafael Nadal broke his opponent on five occasions during the game, whereas, Khachanov could manage to break Nadal just once in the third set. The 35-year-old was efficient in his service games, as he won 85% of his points on first serve, whereas, 68% of the points on second serve.
In all, Nadal won 118 points, as compared to the Russian’s tally of 89 points. Rafael Nadal has been through some tough times in the past year, after suffering a foot injury. The Spaniard missed the entire second half of the 2021 season, as he recovered from the injury.
“If you had told me one and a half months ago that I’d play a level like this, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Nadal. He added that he has the fighting spirit within him, and has a lot of energy left. “Lots of energy in my pocket to keep going, keep fighting,” he added.
Also Read: Australian Open 2022 Day 6: Order of Play for Saturday, 22nd January 2022
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)