After winning the first two matches in straight sets, Rafael Nadal was tested by Alexander Averev and Gael Monfils, but the Spaniard emerged victorious, playing some solid tennis. Nadal's quarterfinals match is going to be even tougher against the third seed, Milos Raonic, who is eager to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open by defeating the Spaniard.
Read: Fans want Nadal vs Federer final
The Spaniard was below par for majority of last season, but his performance in the Australian Open has been quite good, if not stunning. He has got his rhythm going, and has looked comfortable playing his powerful ground stokes and his return has been strong. With the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena set to support Nadal, the Spaniard will hope to step it up against the Canadian.
Nadal has a better head-to-head record against Raonic as the Spaniard has defeated him six times and lost only twice. However, when the two players met earlier in the year in Brisbane, it was a tight encounter, which saw Raonic emerge victorious. Nadal is aware that his quarters clash against Roanic is going to be tough.
"Yeah, in Brisbane he beat me. But at the same time is true that I have been close. He's an opponent that make you feel that you're playing with a lot of pressure all the time because his serve is huge and he's playing very aggressive from the baseline. So going to be a very tough match, no?," Australian Open Official website quoted Nadal as saying.
"But I hope to be ready for it. I need to be very focused with my serve and play aggressive. If I am not playing aggressive, then I am dead, because he plays aggressive. You know finally he going to have chances on the return because he decides to play with going for the shots, so...."
There is an air of confidence in Raonic's style of play at present. He may not have played huge names in the ATP circuit, but has defeated players such as Gilles Muller, Gilles Simon and Roberto Bautista Agut. None of them were able to take Raonic to five sets, which showcases his fine form, but Nadal is going to be his biggest test.
Can Raonic deliver against Nadal? Yes, the Canadian can emerge victorious as he has been showing some great form in the Australian Open. Roanic will bank on his accurate and powerful service along with his groundstrokes. One can expect some long rallies between the two as they love to attack from the baseline.
Raonic showed great character in their last match in Brisbane, where he came from one set down to defeat Nadal. The same kind of determination and skills need to be showcased once again to get the better of Nadal.
"We both tried to be the aggressors early on (in Brisbane). I fought through a difficult moment midway through that second set. Then I thought I had it pretty handily after that point. I broke towards the end of that second set. Broke right away in the third. Had a lot of Love-30 games. Had a lot of break chances following after that, holding quite easy. I found that tipping, sort of turning point, that I was looking for in that match. Obviously it's very within me to find those solutions again, I believe," Roanic said.
There is nothing to choose much between the two players. But one thing is for certain, tennis fans around the world would be praying for the Spaniard's win as the chances of Nadal vs Federer final shoots up.
When to Watch Live
Nadal vs Raonic Australian Open quarterfinals contest is set to begin at 7:30 pm local time (2 IST, 8:30 am GMT, 3:30 am ET). Below are the TV and live streaming information.
India: TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv and Yupp TV.
UK: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
Australia: TV: Channel 7. Live Streaming: 7 Live.
USA: TV: ESPN 3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
