Rafael Nadal has advanced to the fourth round of the ongoing Australian Open 2022 with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over No. 28-seeded Karen Khachanov on Friday. Nadal, aiming for a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title, was facing his first seeded opponent and dropped his first set of the tournament. (More Tennis News)
The sixth-seeded Nadal struggled in the third set when the 6-foot-6 Russian broke to go up 3-1 before taking the set in 57 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. But the 35-year-old Nadal quickly regained control in a dominant fourth set, twice breaking the Olympic silver medalist.
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Nadal shares the men’s record of 20 singles titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, a nine-time champion at Melbourne Park, couldn’t play after having his visa canceled for failing to meet Australia’s strict COVID-19 vaccination regulations.
Federer is skipping the Australian Open while he continues his recovery from injury. Meanwhile, Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini has fended off 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (5) to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The seventh-seeded Berrettini wasted a match point when Alcaraz was serving to force a fifth-set tiebreaker, netting a return to a second serve. But the 25-year-old Italian dominated the match super tiebreaker, taking a 9-5 lead to get four more match points before No. 31-ranked Alcaraz finished with a double-fault.
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“He’s unbelievable. At his age, I didn’t even have an ATP point,” Berrettini said. “He’s impressive. He’ll only improve, playing matches like this. He’s showed everyone his potential.”
Berrettini advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the second straight year and for the eighth time at a Grand Slam event, equaling Fabio Fognini and Andriano Panatta’s Open-era record for the most by an Italian man. No. 14-seeded Denis Shapovalov beat No. 23 Reilly Opelka 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in another men’s third-round match.
