Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios set a thrilling clash in the Madrid Masters third round. Instead of a tight encounter, Rafa took charge and scored a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory in 72 minutes in front of the home fans in Caja Magica.
Thus, the Spaniard reached his eighth quarter-final from nine trips to Caja Magica
. Nadal scored his second win over Kyrgios in three encounters, playing one of his best matches of the season to sail over the finish line. Rafa tamed the rival’s strokes and dominated the rallies, avoiding errors and keeping the pressure on the other side.
Nick tried to impose his strokes but could not reach the rival’s level, making too many easy errors and never finding the right rhythm. It was the first tournament for Nick on clay that year, skipping Estoril due to his grandfather’s death.
Kyrgios would have needed his best tennis to challenge such a strong rival, as Nadal played at a high level from start to finish. The Spaniard served well, untroubled in his service games besides the break he suffered in the opener’s fifth game.
He played equally well on the return to steal 55% of the points on Nick’s serve! Rafa dropped just ten points on serve (four in that game when he got broken) and was all over his rival on the return. He created 11 break chances and converted five for a commanding triumph.
Kyrgios had 11 service winners and struggled to make an impact with his initial shot outside that. Rafa’s returns were deep and accurate, taking time off from the opponent’s shots and neutralizing quick serve & forehand combos that Nick wanted to explore.
Even when he had the opportunity to push Nadal further away from the baseline or make him more uncomfortable, Kyrgios could not endure the rallies, rushing the attacks and never finding his A-game. They had a similar number of free points from serve, 11 for Nick and ten for Rafa, and the Aussie expected a much wider gap in that segment in his favor.
Kyrgios hit 16 winners from the field, and Nadal counted a mighty impressive 24, 12 from forehand and an additional eight from a backhand wing! Rafa hit 17 of these winners in the second set alone to make things even better, leaving Kyrgios utterly hopeless.
Nadal had seven unforced errors, keeping his shots well-balanced. On the other hand, Nick committed 22, too many to stay within any chance for a better result.
Rafael Nadal toppled Nick Kyrgios in Madrid 2017 in just over 70 minutes.
They had a similar number of forced errors, and the Aussie made three double faults more than his rival, some of them in critical moments.
55% of the points ended in the shortest range up to four shots, and Nadal had a 34-25 edge. The Spaniard was even better in the mid-range rallies from five to eight strokes, with a 25-10 lead, the best illustrator of how poor Nick was in constructing the points.
There were just 13 points with nine or more strokes, and Rafa won eight to complete his domination in the quickest and more extended exchanges. As everybody wished, it was a good start for both players in the first three games.
Nick looked determined to fight until the final point, blasting a 172 km/h forehand winner in that third game. Nonetheless, he failed to control his shots in the next one, allowing Nadal to grab a break after a lucky net cord for a 3-1 advantage.
The Spaniard could not stay in front for too long, though, as Kyrgios broke back immediately to cut the deficit to 3-2. He returned well and avoided errors, finishing the game with a beautiful backhand down the line winner to return to the positive side.
Nick wasted a game point in game six and dropped serve after a costly double fault to fall 4-2 behind and send momentum to the other side of the court. After those six games, Kyrgios had nine winners and unforced errors, insufficient for a positive result against Nadal, who had already settled into a nice rhythm.
Rafa held at love to move 5-2 ahead, leaving Nick to serve to stay in the set and missing a chance for another break in that eighth game after spraying a forehand error. Nadal closed the set on his serve in game nine with the second consecutive hold at love, happy with how he performed in the opener and hoping for more in set number two.
They both had five service winners, and Nick hit ten direct points from the court in comparison to Rafa’s seven. On the other hand, the Aussie made 13 unforced errors, eight more than Nadal, and had six forced mistakes, while the Spaniard stayed on two.
The second set’s first game was by far the longest of the match. It was all or nothing for Nick, who hit winners and unforced errors while Rafa waited patiently for his chance for an early break. Kyrgios wasted three game points.
He got broken when Nadal found a return winner after five deuces, getting into a driving seat to bring the match home soon. Nadal dropped only two points in the next three service games, offering Nick not even a glimpse of a chance to get back on the scoreboard or prolong the match.
Kyrgios got broken at love in the third game, fading from the court and waiting for everything to end. The youngster held after three deuces in game five, taking a 12-stroke rally to get his name on the scoreboard and avoid a bagel.
Nadal sealed the deal with another break in game seven after Kyrgios’ colossal forehand error to sail into the quarter-final.
