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Patna : World No 1 & 2009 champion Rafael Nadal, 33, reached the quarter-finals of Australian Open (AO) for the 12th time edging past World No 24 Nick Kyrgios, 24, Australia, in a four-set thriller at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on January 27, 2020, hitting 64 winners in a grudge match. Kyrgios during his 2nd round match with Gilles Simon, France, on January 23, 2020, had mimicked Nadal and even in past had spoken unfavourably against him. Nadal will face World No 5 Dominic Thiem, 26, Austria, in QFs.
Top seed Rafael Nadal battled past Nick Kyrgios, the 23rd seed, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 in 4th round in 3 hr 38 minutes. Both the players won 2 break points each in the match besides winning 3 games each in a row. Nadal’s winning percentage both on his first and second serve ( 84 & & 73 %) was much better than that of Kyrgio (75 % & 38 %). The Australian though hammered 25 Aces in the match to 12 by the Spaniard.
The third and fourth set witnessed long rallies between the two players. Nadal committed 4 double faults to 5 by the Australian. Kyrgios, however, won 97 service points to 93 by Nadal. Nadal described the match as very tough. The Spaniard now leads Kyrgios 5-3 Head to Head. Even on Hard Court they are now 2-2. Although Kyrgios lost the match, he gave Nadal a run for his money. The Australian had defeated 16th seed Karen Khachanov, Russia, in five-sets in 3rd round. Nadal had lost to World No 2 Novak Djokovic, Serbia, in the AO final in 2019.