Nadal, Tsitsipas, others move into second week of Australian Open

Spain’s Rafael Nadal defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie 7/5; 6/2; 7/5 to move into the fourth round while Australia’s Ashley Barty defeated Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6/2; 6/4 to reach the second week. Nadal advanced to a record 49th appearance in a Grand Slam second week.

Nadal conceded a break in the fifth game of the first set but Corrie dropped his serve in the second game. Nadal took Norrie’s serve to win the 12th game of the set. In the second set, Norrie conceded his serve in the sixth game and Nadal raced on to win 6/2.

The third set was a seesaw until Nadal took his opponent’s service game to seal the victory. The Brit powered a total of 9 aces to Nadal’s seven and converted the only break opportunity he had. Nadal closed five out of the 12 breakpoints. Nadal won 46 points off serves from Norrie who took only 21 points from Nadal’s deliveries. Facing a fellow southpaw is a challenge for Nadal because his cross-court forehand shot is effective against right-handed players. In the fourth round, Nadal will face Italy’s Fabio Fognini who defeated the home favourite, Alex de Minaur 6/4; 6/3; 6/4 in an unexpectedly one-sided encounter.

The first week concluded with the imposition of a complete lockdown by the State of Victoria. When it came into effect, spectators were quickly evacuated. There would be no crowd in the stands for the next five days.