Rafael Nadal has fired another ominous warning to his Australian Open rivals with a ruthless victory over home-town favourite Jason Kubler at the Brisbane International.
Key points:
- Nadal beat Kubler 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday night
- He will play Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals
- Australian Rinky Hijikata also reached the last eight
In just his second match back from almost a year out of the game, Nadal cast sentiment aside to crush Kubler 6-1, 6-2 in a tennis masterclass on Thursday night.
Time and again the Spaniard ran down Kubler’s drop shots to flick winners, or ran around backhands to unleash his ferocious cross-court off-forehand, the deadliest shot in tennis.
The Brisbane native and former world number one junior did not win a solitary rally until midway through the fourth game as Nadal stormed through the opening set with a sublime mix of power and precision, including one exquisite Pat Rafter-like backhand smash flick.
Even Kubler offered a wry smile and nudge to fans after finally earning a point midway through the set.
The only time Nadal looked troubled was when the umpire sheepishly issued him a time violation for returning late to the court after a post-first-set toilet break.
After briefly protesting, Nadal shrugged off the affront to storm through the second set with a similar display of shot-making excellence to book a quarterfinal date on Friday with another Australian, Jordan Thompson.
Sabalenka leads charge of big guns
Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open title defence remains firmly on track after the world number two breezed into the quarterfinals in Brisbane.
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Sabalenka extended her winning streak in Australia to 13 matches with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of China’s world number 33 Lin Zhu at Pat Rafter Arena.
She underlined her Australian Open prospects on Thursday with a second straight-sets win of the season.
“It’s been an amazing two days for me,” Sabalenka said after dropping only four games in her first two outings of the year.
“I’m super happy with the level and super happy with the win.
“I’ve improved a lot last season and coming here this year, it’s different.
“I knew that I will get some support and it will be enjoyable to play and I’m trying to not focus on the previous result here.”
The Belarusian will face Russian fifth seed Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Aussie Hijikata advances
Earlier, Rinky Hijikata won a fluctuating three-setter against Tomas Machac to join at least two other Australian men in the Brisbane International quarterfinals.
The 22-year-old beat the Czech qualifier 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) on Thursday in front of a boisterous home crowd on the outside show court at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
The world number 71 served for the first set before Machac took it off his racquet with a series of big forehands.
Machac then led 40-0 on Hijikata’s serve early in the second set, only for the Australian to surge back and hold in a momentum-shifting moment.
Hijikata then had an early service break neutralised in the third set, before again coming from 0-40 down to hold serve and then play faultless tennis in the deciding tie-break.
“A lot of ups and downs, that’s normally how it goes when I play,” said Hijikata, who beat compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round.
“I would like it if it was a bit more smooth sailing.
“But this is unbelievable; our favourite time of year, nothing beats playing at home.”
Hijikata will play either second-seed Grigor Dimitrov or German Daniel Altmaier for a spot in the last four.
Meanwhile, Thompson sealed his quarterfinal berth without lifting a finger after French fourth-seed Ugo Humbert withdrew after reportedly struggling with gastroenteritis.
Ostapenko downs Plíšková
Jelena Ostapenko blasted three-time champion Karolina Plíšková out of the Brisbane International and will meet Victoria Azarenka for a spot in the semifinals.
The Latvian thumped 53 winners in her 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win against the Czech former world number one.
It followed two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka’s early scare in a tough 7-5, 6-2 defeat of France’s Clara Burel.
Former French Open champion Ostapenko, a quarterfinalist at Melbourne Park last year, stood and delivered in a two-hour and 17 minute shootout.
Fresh from below-freezing temperatures, Ostapenko was feeling the pinch as the sun finally came out in Brisbane on Thursday.
But the world number 12 won the crowd over with her passion and power that eventually proved too much for Plíšková, despite serving 18 aces and offering 40 winners of her own.
“It was a tough match; very, very humid and I had low energy at some points but I’m a fighter and I’m really happy I managed to win,” she said.
“I get really mad when I miss some important points, get really angry at myself because I’m a fighter and really want to play kind of perfect”.
Plíšková has won the event three times, a mark Azarenka can now match.
The 34-year-old was pushed in a tight first set by Burel.
“She played really well, changing up her game and passing me so well today,” Azarenka said.
“I was trying to be aggressive, come to the net, but she was really on top of me and played some amazing shots.
“I let her play her game a little bit too much, but [it was a] very competitive match and whenever needed I was able to step up my game”.
The Belarusian won her first career WTA title in Brisbane in 2009 and added another in 2016, before having her son later that year.
Australian wildcard Arina Rodionova’s bright run came to a crashing halt against 16-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva.
The teenager, who is already ranked as high as 43 in the world, won 6-1, 6-1 to deny Rodionova entry into the world’s top 100 for the first time.
Rodionova beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin to reach the third round in Brisbane.
She won seven ITF titles in 2023 to become Australia’s highest-ranked female, but will need a wildcard to earn entry into this month’s Australian Open.
Andreeva will meet 19-year-old Linda Noskova for a place in the final four after the Czech talent, who burst onto the scene in Australia a year ago, beat Argentina’s Julia Riera in three sets.
AAP
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