Rafael Nadal is a master of moments in time.
Nadal defeated Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena, even playing much of the match and then owning the moments that mattered most to the end result.
Nadal won 117 points for the match against Raonic’s 95 (+22). The Spaniard was simply better at finding ways to get to the finish in each set to secure victory in the quarterfinals.
Raonic was broken only twice during the match, in the first and third sets, and it was Nadal’s superior experience and command of the moment that proved crucial. Nadal was not broken in sixteen service games.
Build up return pressure
In the opening set, Nadal leaned on Raonic’s opening service game and extended it to three deuces, with the Canadian in control.
Although Nadal couldn’t break, he sent an early message. Get ready for more of this noise.
Raonic held on to love in his second service game, but was forced to deuce again in his third. In the Canadian’s fourth service game, at 3-3, the pressure gauge exploded and Nadal broke to 15.
Nadal didn’t break in the previous two service games, but by extending them to deuce he got a good idea of his opponent and was able to continually increase the pressure meter.
Nadal lost just two points in his next two service games to secure the opening set.
Cannot convert breakpoints
Raonic absolutely had to win the second set to have a chance at victory. He saved his only four break points of the match in set two, but was unable to convert any. Even more moments when Nadal signed his name.
Raonic’s first break point came in Nadal’s opening game of the second set, when it was all-out. Nadal hit a 100mph slice wide of Roanic’s backhand, which went unanswered. Where else did it go?
Raonic then had three more break points and Nadal served at 4-5 – all set points that could have leveled the match and given a huge boost to the Canadian’s chances of advancing to the semi-finals.
On the first break point, Raonic made a forehand return error. At 30-40 Raonic made a backhand error. On the third set point, Nadal hit a 163 km/h serve to the body and followed it with a forehand winner.
More moments that matter immensely.
Raonic then led 6-4 in the second set tiebreak, but made a backhand return error and then coughed up a double fault.
So many opportunities. So many moments to seize the momentum, to level the score, to get into the match, to play Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals.
Winners and mistakes
In total, Nadal hit 15 forehand winners to Raonic’s 11. Nadal backed it up with 13 winners from the backhand side to Raonic’s zero. Not a single backhand winner for the Canadian on 212 points.
Every time Nadal needed a point, tonight, on this court, he knew he could pound Raonic’s backhand without retaliation. Raonic’s zero backhand winners were a bad number. The 30 backhand errors provided zero support.
Nadal won 53 percent (61/116) of his base points, while Raonic was far away with 35 percent. (31/89). Raonic served and hit just five times, winning three, and won just 52 percent (27/52) at net that night.
Nadal won the big moments and consistently played from the front in most rallies. Coming from behind against a fourteen-time Grand Slam champion in the Rod Laver Arena is a bridge too far.
#build #return #pressure #Brain #Game #Tennis