Flying Colours: Nadal Aces First-Week Test In Melbourne
Rafael Nadal arrived at the Australian Open without any match practice in 2021, after skipping playing duties at the ATP Cup due to stiffness in his back. But that hasn’t stopped the Spaniard from making a strong start to his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam crown.
The 2009 champion completed a dream first week at Melbourne Park on Saturday, as he defeated Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 to claim his third straight-sets victory in as many rounds. Nadal won 79 per cent of second-serve return points (22/28) to move past the Brit in two hours and 14 minutes and advance to the Round of 16 in Melbourne for the 14th time.
Nadal was handed his biggest test of the week by Norrie on Rod Laver Arena, but he rose to the challenge to recover from a break down in the first set and clinch his 68th win at the opening major championship of the year (68-14). The 34-year-old is four wins away from lifting a record 21st Grand Slam title and becoming the first man in the Open Era (since 1968) to win each of the four major titles on multiple occasions.
Norrie maintained consistent depth on his groundstrokes and attacked Nadal’s backhand to claim the first break of the night on Rod Laver Arena. However, Nadal’s response was emphatic. The Spaniard earned eight of the next nine points, as he flattened his groundstrokes and dominated the centre of the court to force his opponent into uncomfortable positions. Nadal continued to move Norrie across the baseline as the set progressed and he dropped just one point from 5-5 to clinch the opener.
Nadal reduced his unforced error count in the second and third sets and found his rhythm to wear Norrie down from the back of the court. As he did in the first set, Nadal broke at 6-5 in the third set to earn his place in the second week in Melbourne.
Norrie equalled his best Grand Slam run by reaching the third round this week. The 25-year-old, who also reached the third round at last year’s US Open, beat Murray River Open champion Daniel Evans and Roman Safiullin in four sets to book his first ATP Head2Head encounter against Nadal.
Nadal will face Fabio Fognini for a place in the quarter-finals. Fognini needed just under two hours to defeat Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena.
Fognini’s win came just two days after he was forced to save match point in an epic fifth-set Match Tie-break against countryman Salvatore Caruso. With his straight-sets win against De Minaur, Fognini equals Andreas Seppi’s record for most Round of 16 appearances at Melbourne Park by an Italian man (4).
Fognini has made an impressive start to his 2021 campaign, after finishing 2020 with one win from five matches following arthroscopic surgery on both his ankles last May. The 33-year-old was an integral part of Italy’s run to last week’s ATP Cup final (l. to Russia).
Fognini has made Italian history with his win over De Minaur. The Sanremo-born star and his ATP Cup teammate, Matteo Berrettini, are only the second Italian duo in the Open Era to reach the Round of 16 in Melbourne. Fognini also achieved the feat alongside Seppi in 2018.
Nadal will enter his 17th ATP Head2Head match against Fognini with a 12-4 record. Fognini will attempt to earn his second Grand Slam win against Nadal, following his memorable comeback from two sets down against the 13-time Roland Garros champion at the 2015 US Open.