The only top eight seed–even top 13, in fact–remaining in the bottom half of the Australian Open draw is Rafael Nadal, who will meet Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday. The other quarterfinal pits Stefanos Tsitsipas against Roberto Bautista Agut.
(14) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (22) Roberto Bautista Agut
Following respective amazing runs through four rounds of this tournament, it will be a first-ever meeting between Tsitsipas and Bautista Agut in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday. Tsitsipas has survived four consecutive matches that have progressed deep into fourth sets–first over Matteo Berrettini, Viktor Troicki, and Nikoloz Basilashvili. The 20-year-old then took things to much, much greater heights with a dramatic 6-7(11), 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-6(5) upset of Roger Federer on Saturday.
Bautista Agut has worked even harder, getting the best of five-setters against Andy Murray, John Millman, and Marin Cilic. The 24th-ranked Spaniard also dismissed world No. 11 Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round. Having kicked off his season with a title in Doha, Bautista Agut is sporting a perfect 9-0 record. His tank level may not be full, but at the same time Tsitsipas has also expended tons of mental and physical energy. In what is sure to be another hard-fought contest, Bautista Agut will likely be too solid.
Pick: Bautista Agut in 5
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France Tiafoe vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Nadal and Tiafoe will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. Although the world No. 2 began this fortnight amidst questions regarding either health and/or rust, the first eight days of the Australian Open could not have progressed in more favorably for him. While other top-eight seeds such as Federer, Cilic, and Kevin Anderson have tumbled out of the draw, Nadal safely played his way into the quarterfinals with straight-set routs of James Duckworth, Matthew Ebden, Alex de Minaur, and Tomas Berdych. The Spaniard was especially ruthless through two sets on Sunday before Berdych finally made things respectable en route to a 6-0, 6-1, 7-6(4) result.
This marks a major breakthrough for Tiafoe–one that he almost enjoyed at Wimbledon last summer but lost to Khachanov from two set up during third-round action. The American, who turned 21 on Sunday, made no such mistake in Melbourne. Playing without question the best tennis of his career, Tiafoe has taken out Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Kevin Anderson, Andreas Seppi (in five sets), and Grigor Dimitrov. He showed signs of cracking on the heels of a two-set lead over Dimitrov but dug deep to hold off the Bulgarian 7-5, 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 7-5. Tiafoe is capable of inflicting damage on Nadal with his forehand, but the 17-time Grand Slam champion won’t let him get comfortable and a steady diet of heavy topspin directed at Tiafoe’s more vulnerable backhand will be just one of many factors in Nadal’s favor.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 12 games or fewer
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Ricky’s Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 12 games or fewer
Ricky was spot on with Rafa losing 9 games!
Assuming no injuries happen, Rafa is my favourite to win the title. He is swinging freely with the serve and I knew they had been working very hard to strike a harder one-two punch. He served 11 aces today and is definitely trying to be more aggressive with the first forehand.
Unless Novak absolutely catches fire, to me Rafa is the best bet.
Tsis is going to be tough but Rafa will take him down in 3 sets
Great to hear, VR! Yes, Rafa looked terrific today. And no hesitation whatsoever in closing out sets and the match. Carlos has always had so much belief in Rafa – maybe it’s contagious.
Rafa was ridiculously good today.
Rafa va Novak final. Don’t think Novak is the overwhelming favorite in that match. It will be a close one.
I agree. This is, perhaps, the best I’ve ever seen Nadal play in Melbourne. I still think Djokovic has a slight edge, but I wouldn’t put money on it right now.
Between Nadal and Djokovic, nadal would be tougher for Tsitsipas. It would be tough to beat them both but Tsitsipas is the only hope for all-court tennis after Federer’s retirement .. http://www.138mph.com/australian-open-tennis-can-tsitsipas-save-tennis-from-the-baseline-bores-while-adding-youtube-subscribers/
Excuse me, but any of the big four could play all court tennis! Don’t forget Fed was also an aggressive baseliner during his prime before switching to all court game as he gets older, so he was also a buffoon during his prime! Why he needs Edberg to help him in his net approaches?
Even an aging Berdych has managed to come forward more often, so it’s not only baseline tennis we are watching now! Almost everyone tries to move forward, Tsitsipas is not the first to do so and won’t be the last.
So happy for Rafa, he proves me wrong and I’m so glad about that!!
He hasn’t lost a set enroute to the SF, well done! Tsitsipas will be a tough one, so I hope Rafa rest and recovers well and be ready for the battle. Vamos!
B-Agut could have beaten Tsits in straight sets but somehow managed to lose his advantage in the 1st and 3rd sets in which he had a lead right up to the business end of the sets. Tsits just hung in there and managed to get to the finishing line first.
*happy dance* So great to see Rafa playing so well!! I didn’t think Tiafoe was tired. He’s dangerous but not disciplined and kinda raw, but he’s young and has time to polish his game. He pretty much self-destructed in his first service game in each set, which let Rafa relax and, um, well, destroy him without stress. Without stress for Rafa. I woke up for it and watched it live – and literally shook throughout the entire match, which Rafa mercifully kept short -THANK YOU RAFA!!!!
I just saw the highlights…serve was good n forehand very good but why do I get the feeling that bh was not that good…too many errors and too much clearance. Any thoughts ?
Read on Twitter there was tape on his stomach…any news on that ?
I read that too. Who knows what is going on. Rafa Seem to suggest thats it “no big deal” in the presser.
Its worrying, but it does not appear to be affecting his game yet.
He changed his serve motion in R3 or something, wonder its because of this?
He is still serving big though.
I think we can conclude now that Rafa, unlike most players, arguably plays his BEST tennis when he returns from injury. If Novak happens to lose before the Final, just go ahead and give the trophy to Rafa. As long as Rafa is healthy, he would NEVER squander such a golden opportunity to get that second AO title. I expect Rafa to make the Final without dropping a set, and I would be very surprised if he lost any more than 1 set to Tsitsipas.
I agree with what was said above- if Rafa and Novak meet in the Final, it will be a very close matchup. As tempted as I am to give Rafa an ever-so-slight edge, I need to keep in mind that Novak almost always looks like a different player in the later rounds than he did in the previous rounds, especially since 2015 (2 year slump aside). Think about the Wimbledon SF. I didn’t think that Novak would be able to match Rafa’s level, given how Novak looked for the last 2 years leading into that match. But Novak suddenly stepped up his level 10-fold.
I’m not saying he will definitely that again, but I’m just trying to keep it in perspective, as my heart is telling me that this is Rafa’s year. Rafa has beaten a prime Novak at a hardcourt major once before, and was oh-so-close in 2012, so there’s no question he’s more than capable of doing it again. But outside of his own 2 year slump, AO has just been Novak’s stomping ground. The conditions, largely due to the new balls, have slowed down a bit from the last couple years. This is obviously a good thing for Rafa, but it’s also a good thing for Novak.
Just given the facts that AO has been where Novak has historically played his best tennis, he’s won the last 2 majors, and that he hasn’t lost to Rafa at a slam for almost 5 years, I will have to give Novak just a slight 51/49 percent edge. But that’s such a slight edge that it might as well be 50/50! Whether it’s Rafa at RG, Novak at AO, or Fed in his prime at Wimby, as long as they are healthy they earned being a slight favorite.
But as we know, Rafa and Novak are both so great that both of them ALWAYS has a good shot of winning against each other, no matter what tournament it is. And THAT is what makes their matchup so compelling to me.
But first Novak needs to make his first AO final in 3 years. And as confident as I am that Rafa will have no trouble with the young, inexperienced Tsitsipas, he will still have to earn that Final spot himself. But again- if Novak doesn’t make the Final, just give the damn trophy to Rafa. There is just no way in HELL that Rafa will let himself miss out on the double career Slam at the hands of guys like Raonic, Nishikori, Pouille….
Let’s just hope so!!!
VAMOS!!!!
We said the same in 2014 when he made final against stan but we know how that turned out due to injury…let him make final first…right now the tape worries me…any info on that will be helpful..Augusta / NNY ?
I just read his post match presser sanju. He was asked about it and he refused to comment. I didn’t find that wildly reassuring..
doesn’t sound good
No it doesn’t! Worried now😕
I know what you mean, Sanju, but I’m strictly talking about if injury doesn’t occur. But honestly, even if he did get hurt, I’m not sure that guys like Raonic, Nishikori, Pouille, etc could stop Rafa from getting that coveted second AO title haha. Seriously though, as long as Rafa stays healthy the Rafa I have come to know would never, ever squander opportunity for that second AO title if the only person in his way was any of those three guys.
There isn’t much on VB about Rafa’s abdominal issue. They are very stressed about it. It always seems like it’s something with Rafa and I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Rafa is not going to give anything away. But he has been off for a long time and now playing in a slam. He has been fortunate to have an easy time of it until now.
I was feeling so good about his changes after watching my recording of the match. But now I just have so much anxiety. I think Tsitsipas will present more of a challenge than Tiafoe. He is riding a high now. The kid is confident and composed and plays with intelligence.
He could make it interesting.
And besides after freaking ten years, I think its WAY overdue!!!!
Vamos, Rafa!!
moral of the story is he needs to take more time off–EVEN when he isn’t hurt
Well mira and I said exactly that last autumn and the year before!!☺ Seem to remember we got a lot of grief for it!
Hhahahaha!…..Yes amy!…spot on!!
Ricky ..whats with the tape…
abdominal issue
1) Wimbledon 2018 – Rafa had that draining QF vs Delpo that went five sets and about five hours. Rafa’s serve was also a problem for him that he couldn’t earn cheap points with them.
Imo, Djoko was quick out of the block and won the first set quickly. Rafa was better in set two and slightly better in set three that earned him a SP in the TB but he blew it. Djoko looked the more tired of the two but he was saved when they postponed the rest of the match to the following day.
Was Djoko that good in the SF? Not really imo, it’s just that his serve was that better that enabled him to save numerous BPs, and Rafa was able to generate so many BPs yet couldn’t break serve.
Djoko imo was grinding his way through the draw (hence my comments about his grinding style during that time at Wimbledon) and forced errors out of his opponents; I’d seen a better Djoko at Wimbledon in the past.
2) Tsitsipas is a tough opponent and it’s not a sure thing that Rafa will beat him to reach the final.
3) Djoko isn’t playing very well the whole tournament but as usual these days, he’s able to grind his way to a win. I think Raonic will be a tough one for him should they meet in the SF. It’s not a given that Djoko will beat this Raonic on this fast HC.
People should realise that since 2012, Rafa has hardly played at 100% as he has either been injured or recovering from injury, most of Djoko’s wins over Rafa are from 2011, before that Rafa led their head to head by a massive margin hence Djoko’s narrow lead by 2 now despite the fact that he’s won most of their matches since 2011.
Hope people aren’t going to underestimate Tsitsipas! He is going to come out full of intensity and confidence and throw everything at Rafa.
Nny and mira where are you!!!
Hehehehe…amy!…i just answered u at another page!…
Hey!…how r u amy?U watched Rafa play today?Rafa play awesome today..but i think his perfomance in Berdych’s match much more perfect than this….but that’s just my opinion!hehehe….what do u think amy?
No my hon I haven’t seen any tennis so far!😢
How do you see the match with Tsitsipas going? Am nervous about the tape!!
Ohhh!…..U haven’t seen any tennis yet amy?Awwww!….it’s a shame!…sorry to hear that amy!…It would be awesome if we can watch it together!…And live blogging!…Urgh!!awesome!…I used to do it with RC…but heh heh…that was a lifetime ago!
Hey amy!…can’t wait to watch Rafa/Tsitsi…just hope whatever that hampered Rafa,will not get it worse…if he’s healthy,insyaallah i think he will prevail…Oh!..i really like what i saw now amy!…The hungry & passion for the title so so visible for us to c…Hope to God he will get it this time amy!….Vamos Rafa!!….Woohooo!!!
Regarding the abdominal issue: he was only on court a short time today and there are a maximum of 2 matches left. Presumably they can manage it for a few days.
I am watching my recording of Rafa’s match now. What is this about tape! Does Rafa have an injury?
Speculated to be abdominal n he did not address it…can you find out from that vamos rafa brigade site you visit please
Rafa had some tape on his stomach. You can see it when he removes his shirt at the end of the match. It certainly did not interfere with his serve during his quarterfinal – which is what ab injuries usually do. If you want my guess, Rafa was “feeling something” there and the tape is a precaution. If it’s anything like what he got in Cincy 2009 he should be able to get through 2 more matches.
Djoko has played c**p so far. His poor form has continued since his series of losses to Khachanov, Zverev and B-Agut from the end of last year. As for performance at the AO so far, Djoko can’t hold a candle to Rafa.
Doesn’t matter how does Djokovic play in the earlier rounds, when it is Rafa or Fed on the other side, he always raises his level.
His answer re the abdominal issue was weird. He could have just said it’s nothing. It might be a cause for concern but at the same time it’s not affecting his game currently. So who knows. Nadal’s health is always a wild card especially at the Ausssie open.
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/australian-open-tsitsipas-could-take-advantage-if-nadal-injury-flares-up-1.3766448?mode=amp
Thank u so much 4 the link sanju!…Oh God!…this is what i dreaded since b4 AO start….Lack of match play means exposing himself to the injury….no no no no!!
Ohh…hopefully it will not getting serious for the last 2 matches!…Please,please,please!!
Thanks so much for the link sanju!..but oh God!…this is what i dreaded since before AO start!….
Hope his abdominal issues were not mot getting any worse for the next 2 matches…I agree with Nats…he made UE less in Berds match than Tiafoe….maybe bcoz of this problems??
Now,i can’t wait for his match against Tsitsi to assess his movement even more…C’mon Rafa!…Hold on!!
Vaaaaamooooos Rafa!!!!!
✌ ✌ ✌ ✌ ✌
No! Please, not another injury! I am so depressed now…
I did not see the first set today but from what I’ve seen in the last two sets Rafa played really well, although making a bit more UEs than in his match with Berdych. That’s what worried me but he was serving well so I thought the UEs came as the result of Rafa’s constant aggressive game…now I worry the abdominal injury could have caused it…
All I know is if Rafa has any type of discomfort he will not be able to play his A game… 😢
Please, get better, Rafa! Please let it be just a scare and nothing serious!
I really think this title is for Rafa to take!
Vamos Champ!
Yes maNy bh unforced errors to be precise
nats,
I am feeling much the way you are now. Finding out about another injury is almost unbearable. It just never stops.
Rafa has been playing so well. He has a real chance here. Yet here we go again. He cannot get through this tournament without an injury.
I am now worried. We have seen this movie before. The match with Tsitsipas is not going to be easy. He will be more of a challenge than Tiafoe.
Ohh great!….I posted my comments twice…and twice it didn’t show here!…Urgh!…What’s wrong Ricky??
It could be that he’s like me and doesn’t like to talk about “possible” injuries, because it makes them seem more real. He didn’t look any worse for the wear last night. I would have expected an abdominal injury to affect his serve first, and that was clicking much better than it usually does. Who knows.
Not me, that’s for sure. I saw a pic posted that showed Rafa & team in a corridor after the match. Rafa was not wearing a shirt and had an icebag taped to his right abdomen. Well, it is what it is, nothing to do but wait and see.