Australian Open 2022: 3 things that stood out in Rafael Nadal's epic five-set win over Denis Shapovalov
Sixth seed Rafael Nadal beat 14th seed Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 on Tuesday to book a place in the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open.
Nadal appeared to be in complete control of the match after taking a two-sets-to-love lead. But the 22-year-old Canadian hit back to level the proceedings, before the Spaniard closed out the contest in five sets after more than four hours on court.
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On that note, here's a look at three things that stood out in the Spaniard's quarter-final win.
#1 Shapovalov's serve was powerful but lacked consistency
The Canadian struck 20 aces, but his first-serve percentage stood at just 58% for the match. In the first two sets, he posted first-serve percentages of 50 and 53 respectively, which contributed to his struggles.
Although that number increased in the final two sets, it was not enough for the Canadian to overcome the Spaniard.
In contrast, Nadal was much more accurate with his first serve, landing 68% of them.
#2 Nadal kept his cool in the face of Shapovalov’s aggression
Shapovalov did not try to curb his aggression while facing the 20-time Grand Slam champion. He tried to hit through Nadal with powerful groundstrokes off both wings. However, he paid the price for his gung-ho approach by committing a ton of unforced errors.
Although Shapovalov hit 53 winners against Nadal’s 41, he also committed 51 unforced errors to the Spaniard's 28, with the majority coming off his forehand wing.
Nadal, for his part, ensured he prolonged the rallies just enough to force the Canadian into making mistakes. The strategy paid off as the Spaniard won most of the longer rallies.
#3 Nadal’s experience trumped Shapovalov's youthful exuberance
Just when it seemed like Shapovalov was down and out after losing the first two sets, the Canadian made a great comeback to win the next two and force a decider. However, his lack of experience shone through as he dropped his level early in the fifth set and conceded his serve.
Nadal made his experience count, breaking Shapovalov in the second game of the final set and then keeping his composure to save two multiple breakpoints.
Although the Canadian battled hard to try and find a way back into the match, he simply could not cut down on the unforced errors.