Possible rematch Nadal – Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open

According to the Australian Open draw, which took place in the early hours of Thursday (12/12), it’s possible to revive last year’s final of the event sooner than expected…

Defending champion and No. 1 Rafael Nadal and last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev were drawn in the same quarter of the draw and are likely to cross racquets in the quarterfinals of the major tournament.

Last year, the 36-year-old Spaniard completed one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history when he came back from a 2-0 deficit against Medvedev to claim his second Melbourne title and 21st Grand Slam of his illustrious career.

This year has not started well for the Mallorca left-handed ace, who suffered back-to-back United Cup defeats by Gofan and De Minor.

Nadal will also have a tough task in his Australian opener as he is set to meet rising Brit and left-hander Jack Draper in the first round, who secured his Adelaide International 2 qualification with a straight-set win over Karen Khachanov on Thursday.

If Rafa overcomes the obstacle of 21-year-old Draper (No. 40), he expects an American from Nakashima-McDonald in the 2nd round, while he is likely to face 31-year-old Yoshihito Nishioka in the 3rd round.

In the “16,” Nadal crosses paths with tennis player Francis Tiafoe, who eliminated him in the same round of the US Open last year, ahead of a possible appointment with Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the competition.

As for Medvedev’s path, the number 7 will start against Marcos Giron and likely continue against Q-John Millman, while 29-Sebastian Korda awaits him in Round 3 before a possible showdown with 10-Hubert Hurkacs in the ” 16″ is coming. .

Nadal and Medvedev have met a total of six times, with the Spaniard enjoying a clear advantage in his history with 5-1 victories.

Source: Tennis24