Rafael Nadal’s bid to win his first Australian Open title in more than a decade is gaining momentum after he disposed of Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in straight sets on Monday.
The world No.2 rallied to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, victory in what was the 17th meeting between the two on the Tour. Nadal was engaged in a cat and mouse chase with Fognini who had a series of golden opportunities against the Spaniard but failed to take advantage of them. Enabling the former champion to seal victory with the help of six aces and 24 winners.
“Today was very humid. The conditions are quicker which I honestly like a bit more,” said Nadal.
“For me it is a little bit better playing in the day because I like the ball flying a bit faster. But I need to adapt to every single condition.’
“I’m happy to be in the quarter-finals again, it means a lot to me.” He added.
Despite boasting a winning head-to-head record against Fognini, Nadal was fully aware of the threat he faced on the Rod Laver Arena. Initially, it was business as usual for Nadal during the opener as he broke twice en route to sealing the 6-3 lead after coming through some tough games.
The biggest test for the Spaniard occurred in the second set after a lacklustre service game resulted in him being broken and falling behind 2-4. It looked as if Fognini was going to level the match at a set apiece as he raced to a 40-0 lead in the following game for a chance to extend his stronghold to 5-2. However, that wouldn’t be the case thanks to a well disciplined Nadal who weathered the storm to claw his way back and level at 4-4. Fognini’s inability to seize the moment resulted in him receiving a code violation for ball abuse after hitting a ball into the stands out of frustration. Two consecutive errors from the Italian allowed Nadal to break once more en route to sealing a two-set lead.
The mini battle won by the 33-year-old proved decisive for the match outcome as he raced towards victory with a largely one-sided performance in the third frame. A five-game winning streak moved him to four points away from the victory. Fognini was able to end the streak but it was too little too late as Nadal closed the match out with a perfect service game that concluded with an ace down the line.
“When you go on court in the round of 16 against a great player like Fabio you are worried in every moment but at the same time you can’t expect to go on court and not have problems,” Nadal explained.
“In the second set I don’t think I played a second game. When he broke me I was lucky to have the break back. Then I saved 0-40 and that was the key. During these games I was a little bit lucky.”
Nadal is through to the last eight of a Grand Slam for the 43rd time in his career. The third highest tally in the history of men’s tennis after Novak Djokovic (48) and Roger Federer (57). Something Nadal described as ‘good numbers’ during his on-court interview. At the Australian Open specifically, he has now reached the quarter-finals in 13 out of 16 appearances.
Seeking a record 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne Park, Nadal will play either No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or No. 9 seed Matteo Berrettini.
“Stefanos and Matteo, both of them are young, strong and have a lot of energy. It’s going to be a big challenge,” he commented on his next match.
