Original title: Australian Open roundup: Nadal crosses the border, Zverev is out
In the fourth round of the Australian Open held on the 23rd, Nadal and the French veteran Manarino staged a “marathon” tie-break. In the end, Nadal won the first 7:6 (16:14). A set, and then won two 6:2, into the quarter-finals.
The Spanish “King” had a tough first set win. After the start of the game, both of them tried their best to keep their serve and played until 6:6. After entering the tie-break, Nadal quickly tied the score despite Manarino leading 3-0 at one point. Both were desperately biting, Nadal wasted six packs and Manarino wasted four. After a 28-minute tiebreaker, Nadal finally seized the opportunity and ended the tug of war with 16:14.
The battered Frenchman was devastated, and the last two sets were never able to pose a strong threat to Nadal.
After the game, Nadal also said that the tiebreaker was “pretty crazy.” “His ball is fast and his serve is hard to judge. I knew it was going to be a tough game when I got on the court,” Nadal said. “It was a valuable win, especially to win the first set. I Got through those tough moments in the first set, so it’s a very important win for me.”
Nadal will face No. 14 seed Shapovalov in the quarterfinals. The 22-year-old Canadian teenager entered the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time and defeated No. 3 seed Zverev in straight sets, once again setting a personal best result at Melbourne Park.
French veteran Memphis beat Serbian teenager Ketzmanovic to tie his Australian Open best result. He will face Italy’s Berrettini in the quarterfinals.
In the women’s singles arena, the top seed Barty still kept a set, easily defeating the American teenager Anisimova 6:4 and 6:3. Barty will face American Pegula in the quarterfinals. The latter defeated No. 5 seed and Greek player Sakari, and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open again after last year.
The two-time Australian Open women’s singles champion and Belarusian star Azarenka lost 2:6 to No. 4 seed Krejickova of the Czech Republic. American player Keyes defeated No. 8 seed and Spain’s Bardoza and also entered the quarterfinals. (Reporters Hao Yalin and Yue Dongxing)