A very solid Rafa proved to be too much for Marinko Matosevic.
The Australian qualifier (world no. 74) didn’t have the tools to really challenge the world no.4. The first set was rather straightforward with Rafa getting a strong 5-1 lead to then wrap up the opener 6-2. In the second set the Mallorcan won the decisive break when in the 5th game. The match ended after 1 hour and 18 minutes. Match Stats
Rafa: It’s a great start of the hard court season.
“I think I played well.I played a positive match. To win 6-2, 6-4 against a tough opponent, it is impossible to play bad. I am happy the way I played. To start the hard court season like this with semi-finals is a great start.” said Rafa
The Semi vs. Djokovic
Rafa will play an interesting semis against Novak Djokovic. Head to head is 20-15 for Nadal, but 9-3 for Nole on hard courts. Details
