Nadal cruises into Australian Open fourth round after five-set battle

The former world number one had a tough time against young German talent Alexander Zverev but still won with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

It took Rafael Nadal four hours and six minutes to overcome the 19-year-old. He will face sixth seed Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals.

Zverev is one of the highly rated young talents. His powerful serves and especially his accurate backhands helped him lead his experienced opponent 2-1 after three sets. However, in the deciding set, an injury put the young German at a disadvantage.

Zverev wowed the crowd when he defeated Nadal in a 37-inning rally. The two players were neck and neck in the deciding set. After the rally, the young German suffered a cramp and had to seek medical attention.

"I won because of my fighting and my movement. I think everyone knows how good Alexander is. He is the future and the present of this sport," Nadal said after the match.

Nadal proves his perseverance at the decisive moment. Photo: Reuters.

"I had cramps after that long rally. I still scored game-point to lead 3-2. I lost the service game and think part of it was because of that injury," Zverev said.

The match was a physical affair, with Nadal slightly better in terms of stamina. Zverev, who has been tipped to become a future number one so much that bookmakers have stopped taking bets on him, showed he still has some fitness to work on. The 19-year-old is working with Andy Murray's former physio Jez Green.

Injury makes it difficult for Zverev in the fifth set. Photo: Reuters.

"It was a difficult match for me. I was not in my best form and did not feel good because I lost too many matches. Once I feel better, I will have more time to control the match from the baseline," Nadal continued.

Elsewhere, second-round knockout of Novak Djokovic Denis Istomin advanced after defeating 30th seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Istomin will face 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.

Results of some other notable matches:David Goffin6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Ivo Karlovic;Dominic Thiem6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 Benoit Paire;Roberto Bautista7-5, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 David Ferrer;Milos Raonic6-2, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 Gilles Simon;Gael Monfils6-3, 7-6, 6-4 Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Match schedule for some matches on January 22: Andy Murray - Mischa Zverev (10h); Stan Wawrinka - Andreas Seppi (10am); Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Dan Evans (12:30).

According to VNE