Rafael Nadal rides out Nick Kyrgios challenge

MELBOURNE: World number one Rafael Nadal lost his first set of the tournament but rode out a spirited challenge from Nick Kyrgios to move into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the 12th time with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6(4) victory on Monday.

Australian Kyrgios was a match for the 19-time Grand Slam champion in the second and for most of the third set but the muscle-bound Spaniard always looked like the most likely winner once he got his nose back in front.

Kyrgios broke back when Nadal was serving for the match in the fourth set to reignite the contest and bring the partisan Rod Laver Arena crowd back into the equation.

The top seed gritted his teeth and went again in the tiebreak, however, moving through to a last eight meeting with Austrian Dominic Thiem when Kyrgios netted a forehand after three hours and 38 minutes.

"It was a very tough match," Nadal told former World No. 1 John McEnroe in an on-court interview as quoted by the ATP Tour website after the match.

"In the beginning I was in control, but you're never in control against Nick. When I made the mistake on serve in the second set, with one serve of mine, it was so difficult to break him again.

"I did the same in the fourth set, but he played a good game. I played a scary game at 5-4, it's part of the sport and you have to accept it. I tried to recover mentally for 6-5 and then the tie-break. When he plays like today with a positive attitude, he gives a lot to the sport. He's one of the best talents on Tour and I like the Nick Kyrgios of this tournament."

Nadal held serve to love nine times and landed 64 winners to reach his 12th quarter-final at Melbourne Park.

As he bids to equal Roger Federer’s haul of 20 Grand Slam trophies, Nadal is also aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win each of the four major championships on multiple occasions. The Spaniard has reached five Australian Open finals, lifting the trophy in 2009. IANS

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