Nadal fights off Monfils to reach quarters
Published on: Tuesday, January 24, 2017
MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal fought back to deny mercurial Frenchman Gael Monfils over four sets and reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2015 at the Australian Open on Monday.Ninth seed Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, defeated the sixth-seeded Monfils 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena in almost three hours and will play Canada's world number three Milos Raonic in the quarters. Raonic, the highest seed left in the tournament, beat Bautista Agut 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
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It was a gutsy effort from the never-say-die Spaniard, who was down a service break with a fifth set looming before he broke Monfils twice to clinch victory.The 2009 champion reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the ninth time and it was his first since the 2015 French Open."I'm very happy being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam after a couple of years without being there," he said. "It's very special for me, especially here in Australia where I feel (it's) a little bit like home."
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