TENNIS NEWS FROM MELBOURNE WHERE FERNANDO VERDASCO UPSETS RAFA NADAL ON A DRAMATIC DAY AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 19th January 2016

TENNIS NEWS FROM MELBOURNE WHERE FERNANDO VERDASCO UPSETS RAFA NADAL ON A DRAMATIC DAY AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN BY RICKY DIMON

epa05110600 Rafael Nadal of Spain prepares to serve to Fernando Verdasco of Spain during their first round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2016. EPA/DAVID CROSLING AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

For Rafael Nadal, 2009 isn’t walking through that door.

That’s when Nadal captured his only Australian title, beating Fernando Verdasco in a grueling five-set semifinal that lasted more than five hours and is accepted as one of the best matches in tournament history. An encore took place on Tuesday night, this time during first-round action.

It went to five sets again, but this time the script was flipped. Verdasco upset the world No. 5 after four hours and 41 minutes, 7-6(6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Fernando Verdasco of Spain in action against Rafael Nadal of Spain during their first round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2016. EPA/DAVID CROSLING

“He was playing amazing in the last set,” Nadal assessed. “If you decide everything in one set, the opponent is ready to hit all the balls at 100 percent, then you are in trouble. He had a lot of success hitting all the balls full power in the fifth. I have to congratulate him…. He played better than me. He played more aggressive than me. He [took] more risks than me, and he won. Probably he deserved.

“But I am not happy about the way that I played the first. In the fourth I was not very bad, but he played better than me, too. I had my chances in the fourth.”

Verdasco blasted 90 winners to Nadal’s 39. The underdog fired 17 more winners than his opponent throughout a jaw-dropping final set–21 to four, to be exact.

“I played unbelievably in the fifth set,” Verdasco assured. “I don’t know how I did it. I closed my eyes and everything went in.”

A total of seven five-setters took place at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. The longest marathon was contested by Jeremy Chardy and Ernests Gulbis, with the Frenchman eventually prevailing 13-11 in the decider. Tommy Robredo outlasted Malek Jaziri, Viktor Troicki erased a two-set deficit against Daniel Munoz De La Nava, Jack Sock edged fellow American Taylor Fritz, Lukas Rosol held off Taro Daniel, and Guido Pella came back from two sets down to beat Steve Darcis.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reacts during his first round match against James Duckworth of Australia at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2016. EPA/DAVID CROSLING

In the most newsworthy three-setter, Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt lived to see another day. Playing the final tournament of his illustrious career, Hewitt got the best of countryman James Duckworth 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4.

“I felt pretty good,” the 34-year-old commented. “You know, I was pretty pumped up before I went on. I think I was able to block out everything else once I was out there. Obviously you get asked the same questions for quite a few months leading into this tournament, then it’s there, and you don’t fully know how you’re going to react until you’re out there on the match court.

“I think I had my game-face on.”