Share

Anderson no match for Nadal

Melbourne - Spain's world number three Rafael Nadal downed big-serving South African Kevin Anderson to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open on Sunday.


Nadal overpowered the 15th-ranked Anderson 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in 2hr 6min on Rod Laver Arena and will face Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych in the last eight.

It will be Nadal's eighth quarter-final appearance as he bids for his second Australian title after losing to Stan Wawrinka in last year's decider.

Nadal, who won the Open in 2009, showed no signs of the health problems he suffered when taken to five sets by American Tim Smyczek in the second round and looked back to his best.

"After a tough period of time for me it's a fantastic result and I'm very happy with the way I played today," he said.

"It was probably my best match here this year so that's very important for me and very special."

Anderson had no trouble and dropped only one point in his first five service games before he cracked serving for a tiebreaker.

Nadal got to 15-40 and held two set points, but the South African conceded the opening set when he made an ugly-looking crouch forehand into the net.

Nadal, who had been struggling to handle Anderson's serve, suddenly found himself a set up in 52 minutes.

The South African's confidence dipped and Nadal swiftly seized the initiative, breaking his opening two service games to take the second set in 32 minutes.

Nadal quickly grabbed an early break in the third set to strengthen his grip and take the match and now has a 18-3 record against Berdych.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE