24 January,2017 05:03 AM IST | | AFP
Spanish ace Rafa battles past Monfils to set up quarter-final clash with Canada’s World No. 3 Milos Raonic
Melbourne: Rafael Nadal fought back to deny mercurial Frenchman Gael Monfils over four sets and reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2015 at the Australian Open yesterday. The 14-time Grand Slam champion defeated sixth-seeded Monfils 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena in almost three hours and will play Canada's World No. 3 Milos Raonic in the quarters.
It was a gutsy effort from the never-say-die Spaniard, who was down a service break with a fifth set looming before he broke sixth-seeded Monfils twice to clinch victory. The 2009 champion reached the last eight in Melbourne for the ninth time. He hasn't contested a Grand Slam quarter-final since the 2015 French Open.
"I'm very happy being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam after a couple of years without being there. I have started the season playing in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam again, especially on a hard court after not being there for a couple of years which is great news," he said. It was Nadal's first win over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam since he defeated number two Novak Djokovic to win the title at Roland Garros in 2014, his last major win.
"Gael is a special player. He is able to play unbelievable shots. It is a pleasure to see him in the top rankings," Nadal said.
"Sometimes it's tough to play against Gael when you don't know what he's going to do. He combines mistakes with great shots," he added. Nadal will go into his Australian quarters with a 6-2 lead over Raonic in their previous meetings. "He's an opponent that makes you feel that you're playing with a lot of pressure," he said.
Quarter-final fixtures
Men's Singles
