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World No.1 Rafael Nadal faces No.6 Marin Cilic in the Australian Open quarter-finals. Join The Roar for all the action from around 7pm (AEDT).
Both players worked their way through the first week of the draw with minimal fuss.
Nadal hit a slight hiccup in the fourth round, losing the second set to Diego Sebastian Schwartzman, before kicking away to win comfortably in four sets.
Cilic has been pushed to four sets twice, with his fourth-round victory over Pablo Carreno Busta including twoi great tie-break wins. Nadal won’t be taking the current Wimbledon runner-up lightly.
There will be a real clash of styles on show, with Cilic’s booming serve and hard, flat groundstrokes contrasting with Nadal’s heavy topspin and counter punching ability. If Cilic does have a weakness, it is his court movement, which is not surprising given his 198cm frame. Nadal will no doubt look to exploit this as the match wears on.
Their head-to-head record is telling, with Cilic’s only win coming back in 2009 on a hard court in Beijing. Nadal has won five straight since then.
Prediction
If Cilic serves well here, he is not without a chance. However, Nadal hasn’t won the Australian Open since 2009, so the lure of going one better than last year will see him through to the semi-finals. He should eventually wear the Croat down.
Rafael Nadal to win in four sets.
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