By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday February 13, 2020
Rafael Nadal eased past Great Britain's Cameron Norrie to set a fourth-round clash with Fabio Fognini.
Photo Source: Ta
Rafael Nadal jumped another hurdle in Melbourne and moved closer to a 21st major title with a 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 victory over No.69-ranked Cameron Norrie of Great Britain on Saturday night in Melbourne.
With no fans in attendance due to the state of Victoria’s five-day lockdown, Nadal and Norrie were forced to create their own energy in a suddenly silent Rod Laver Arena.
It wasn’t simple for either player, but it was the more experienced Nadal who pounced on his opportunities and progressed with relatively little stress to book his 14th appearance in the second week of the Australian Open.
Nadal fell behind by a break early in the first but was able to recover and take the first set, 7-5, on a break in the 12th game.
The Spaniard, who entered the tournament under an injury cloud due to a stiff lower back, showed no obvious signs of the injury, but he never really red-lined his game against Norrie. In the end he was able to wear Norrie down and really on his experience and steadiness to get the victory locked up in straight sets.
After a dominant second set, Norrie marched in lockstep with Nadal through the first ten games of the third set but he was broken while serving to force a tiebreaker at 5-6.
It has been an interesting first week in Melbourne on the men’s side, with Nadal’s back issues going from the lead story to an afterthought as Novak Djokovic’s abdomen injury took center stage on Day 5 when the World No.1 and eight-time Australian Open champion injured himself as he slipped in the backcourt during his five-set victory over American Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic was unable to practice today and the tennis world is holding its breath as they wait to see what type of form he can produce on Sunday when he meets Milos Raonic on Saturday night in Melbourne.
For now the possibility of a hampered Djokovic makes Nadal more of a favorite for the title, especially if he has put his back issues behind him. It isn’t exactly clear if he has, but his straight sets victory tonight is certainly a step in the right direction.
Nadal has yet to drop a set in Melbourne but his draw gets a lot more difficult from here.
He’ll face longtime nemesis Fabio Fognini in the round of 16 after the Italian, who saved a match point in his second-round victory over Salvatore Caruso, defeated Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday night.
Nadal owns a 12-4 lifetime record against Fognini but the Italian has notched some memorable victories against the 20-time major champion, including a comeback from two sets down in the third round of the US Open in 2015.
Here is how the round of 16 shapes up on the men's side.