Rafael Nadal’s quest for a 15th Grand Slam title is still very much alive after recording a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 win over Alexander Zverev in the third round on Saturday. It was a gritty performance from Nadal who needed four hours and six minutes to produce the marathon victory. With the win, Nadal booked a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open for the 10th time in his career.
It was a morale-boosting victory for Nadal who had lost his past three five-setters. He held his composure in this epic battle, committing just 34 unforced errors as opposed to Zverev’s 74. Just like in his second round match against Marcos Baghdatis, Nadal’s serve was impressive once again in this contest. He converted 75 percent (113-of-150) of his first serves against Zverev with the Spaniard winning 82 of his 113 first serve points.
Waiting in the next round for Nadal is the talented Gael Monfils. This will be the 15th meeting between the two stars in the ATP Tour with Nadal currently holding an impressive 12-2 advantage. For Nadal to extend his dominance against Monfils, he needs to continue his strong net play in the fourth round. He won 17 of his 24 net points against Zverev on Saturday.
Gael Monfils stormed into the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open with an emphatic 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber on Saturday. It was an excellent performance by Monfils who needed just one hour and 55 minutes to oust the 33-year-old German. With the win, Monfils reached the last 16 at Melbourne for the second year running. Monfils, who improved to 13-2 against Kohlschreiber, blasted 32 winners and won 76 percent of his first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, though, was the Frenchman’s return. Monfils converted five of his six break point opportunities against Kohlschreiber.
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for Monfils as he will next face the in-form Rafael Nadal. They have faced each other in the Australian Open once before, with Monfils losing in straight sets to Nadal back in 2014. For Monfils to emerge as the victor this time around, he needs to find ways to limit his miscues. He committed a whopping 39 unforced errors in the win against Kohlschreiber. That simply won’t do against a world-class player like Nadal who won this tournament in 2009.
