Australian Open defending champion Rafael Nadal has triumphed in a high-class four-set slugfest with Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber at Melbourne Park.
Nadal, who had moved through the first two rounds with comfortable straight sets wins, had to fight hard to down the 27th seed 6-4 6-2 2-6 7-5.
While Kohlschreiber looked out of his weight class against the bullish world No.2, he took the battle to him from the outset, trying to go blow for blow with Nadal’s pounding, heavily top-spun baseline shots.
The German had his chances to get on top early, with numerous break points on Nadal’s serve in both of the first two sets, but could not seize any of them.
Nadal took his chances and looked in complete control by the end of the second set.
The left-hander clinched it with an incredible running forehand winner which curled around the net and clipped the sideline.
But an undaunted Kohlschreiber upped his aggression even further in the third set, adding regular forays to the net to his fierce ground strokes.
It helped him reel off the first three games of the set, including breaking Nadal’s serve for the first time in the match and he did so again to end the set with some momentum.
In a fourth set which contained some brilliant tennis, Nadal broke Kohlschreiber’s serve in the seventh game, clinched by stunning forehand winners on consecutive points, the first prompting fist pumps and a roar of delight.
Kohlschreiber broke back next game, but lost his serve again to go down 5-6, and this time could not stop Nadal serving it out.
Nadal said the match had been tiring, but he had no doubt he would be physically ready for the fourth round.
“I feel okay. Sure, probably I’m going to be a little bit tired tomorrow but I think I’ll be okay,” he said.
“It was a long match but I work out a lot at home so I can survive.”
Nadal will next meet Ivo Karlovic, after the big-serving Croatian downed countryman and 24th seed Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 3-6 6-3 7-6 (9-7) on Friday night.
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