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Rafael Nadal will look to continue his easy progression through the Australian Open when he takes on the match-fit but inconsistent Damir Dzumhur. Join The Roar for live scores from 7pm (AEDT).
The world No.1 has been booted off Rod Laver Arena for Nick Kyrgios and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but he gets to keep a night session on what is a scorching day in Melbourne.
After playing on Wednesday afternoon and coming away with his second straight-set win of the Australian Open, he will be looking to continue a run of form going which has seen him start 2018 at the top of his game.
Nadal, after taking a longer chunk of pre-season played his first competitive match against Victor Estrella Burgos, only dropping three games on his way to the second round.
It was a dominating performance from Nadal and one we have become accustomed too. He chased down everything, defended well and then unleashed on his killer backhand whenever the opportunity presented itself.
He produced more of the same in the second round, blasting past Leonardo Mayer in straight sets, although he was put under more pressure. The final score read 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 and Nadal will probably be impressed with the way he was able to work through the match, his body holding up well.
Fitness was one of the key questions surrounding Nadal coming into the tournament, but so far it has been answered convincingly.
His 25-year-old opponent for the third round who just snuck into the seeded positions had his own fitness questions coming into the tournament. He had to withdraw from the second round of the Sydney International against Alex De Minaur but, like Nadal, has been convincing in answering them.
While his form hasn’t looked quite as good, he has been forced to play nine sets over the first two rounds, defeating Italian Paolo Lorenzi in five and then Australian John Millman in four.
The match against Millman was particularly impressive. While he lost the second set, his groundstrokes were full of power and serve stayed with him nicely. Consistency has often been a problem for Dzumhur, but if the last two sets of the Millman match are anything to go by, he is approaching top form.
The pair have played once before with Dzumhur taking the match in Miami during 2016 as Nadal retired into the third set. The winner will play either Diego Schwartzman or Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Prediction
Nadal has been on a roll through the first grand slam of the year, but he would have been almost happy to be tested in the third set against Mayer. It should leave him in good stead as he begins to play seeded opponents and this should be another fairly straightforward win.
Nadal in straight sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this third round match from 7pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to drop a comment in the section below.