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this just in… yey!

ever noticed that i haven’t posted a decent post in the past weeks? well, i’m just not in the mood. besides, don’t realy have much to talk about excpt things that i don’t want to talk about.

but there just one topic that i like to keep an update on, so here goes: (article taken from australian open)

Nadal grinds out five-setter to advance

No.2 seed Rafael Nadal is through to the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2007 after defeating Scot Andy Murray 6(3)-7 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-1 in a tremendous battle of wills on Rod Laver Arena on Day Eight.

Both players pulled out an astonishing array of shots during the titanic struggle that thrilled the crowd for three hours and 51 minutes on Monday night.

The No.15 seed had the world No.2 on the ropes at several different points in the encounter, but the Spaniard refused to give in and toughed out the five-set win to set up a quarterfinal clash against Chilean No.10 seed Fernando Gonzalez - his best result in an Australian Open so far.

Neither player was able to establish a break during the opening set, but two unforced errors from Nadal on his serve in the tiebreak proved crucial.

Taking over on serve, Murray looked to have wrapped up the set when the Spaniard sent his forehand return wide. A challenge was forthcoming, but proved unsuccessful, giving the Scot the first set.

The serves of both players were under pressure early in the second set, but it was Nadal who faltered first, Murray breaking him to go 3-1 up. The Scotsman was in the driver’s seat when he held serve to establish a 4-1 scoreline, but appeared to lose focus for a period allowing Nadal to come storming back with five consecutive games to take the second set.

Murray spent much of that time wincing in pain and clutching at his right side, although his play was not noticeably affected and at no point did he call for the trainer.

The rout looked on when Nadal broke again to go 2-1 up in the third, but seemingly from nowhere, Murray found his rhythm again. First he evened the set when he broke back in the sixth game, then he completed the comeback when he broke in the tenth game to take a two-sets-to-one lead that had looked highly improbable not too long before.

Perhaps struggling to comprehend his abrupt reversal in fortunes, Nadal was shaky before holding his first service game in the fourth, but was put under even more pressure the next time he served.

The Spaniard saved five break points before holding to even the set at 2-2, but in a crucial oversight, Murray failed to use one of his challenges to query a ball that was called out, but was shown to be in. A successful challenge would have seen him go 3-1 up with a break and the momentum, but instead it was his opponent who rallied.

Nadal broke Murray in the seventh game to go 4-3 up and when the Scot double-faulted on break point two games later, the match was headed for a fifth set.

The career five-set records of the respective players - 6-2 for Nadal and 3-3 to Murray - favoured the Spaniard and the numbers didn’t lie as the deciding set unfolded. Nadal achieved the first service break to go 2-0 up, while Murray failed to convert five break points in the very next game and visibly wilted as a result. Broken again in the fourth, the Scot finally held to get on the scoreboard in the last, but the hole was too deep with Nadal serving out the match comfortably.

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