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| Match: Finished | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. De Minaur (AUS) (27) | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| R. Nadal (ESP) [2] | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Completed Sets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Set won by R. Nadal | 4 - 6 | R. Nadal leads 0 to 3 |
| Set won by R. Nadal | 2 - 6 | R. Nadal leads 0 to 2 |
| Set won by R. Nadal | 1 - 6 | R. Nadal leads 0 to 1 |
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Australian Alex De Minaur will play the biggest match of his career to date in the third round of the Australian Open when he steps onto Rod Laver Arena and clashes with Rafael Nadal. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7pm (AEDT).
De Minaur is Australia’s great young tennis hope in men’s competition, but he is likely to run into a buzzsaw this evening.
Nadal is in fine form just at the moment, and despite his lack of hard court play over the last 24 months, is yet to lose a set at this year’s Australian Open, having blasted his way past a pair of Aussies in James Duckworth and Matt Ebden during the first two rounds.
As we all know at this stage of his career, Nadal is one of the best players to ever grace a tennis court, and as if playing right into his hands, the courts at Melbourne Park this year do appear slower than they have been the last two times around.
De Minaur, on the other hand, comes into the Australian Open having made the quarter-finals in Brisbane and winning in Sydney, but it may have come at a cost.
For the first five sets of this grand slam – beating Pedro Sousa in three and leading Henri Laaksonen 2-0, he looked fantastic. From there though, it almost fell apart for the Aussie, with Laaksonen fighting back to get the match into a fifth set.
While the fighting qualities and ability to make the match physical can’t be ignored, he couldn’t afford to play such a long match before facing Nadal, given his only hope appears to be making this physical and hope Nadal can’t maintain the level, which, with a lack of match practice, is more than a distinct possibility.
The pair squared off at Wimbledon last year in the third round, and while Nadal won that match without breaking an effort, he will have a tougher battle on his hands tonight against a stronger, more experienced De Minaur.
Prediction
De Minaur is going to fight hard like he always does, and will have learned plenty from their previous meeting, but at this stage of his development, Nadal is still a level above and should come home pretty strongly to grab this match – one which is likely to be physical.
Nadal in four sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this huge third-round encounter on Rod Laver Arena from 7pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Start time: 7pm (AEDT)
Court: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
TV: Live, Nine
Online: Live, 9Now
Overall record: Played 1, Nadal 1, De Minaur 0
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