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Nadal excited by Shapovalov clash in Australian Open quarters

MELBOURNE — Rafa Nadal faces a tricky test in his quest for a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title when he takes on Denis Shapovalov in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday, but the Spaniard is relishing another battle with his fellow lefthander.

World number one Ash Barty steps up her bid to emulate Chris O’neil and give Australia a first home women’s singles champion at Melbourne Park since 1978. Standing in her way is American 21st seed Jessica Pegula, who has never reached the semi-finals.

Nadal returned to action on the ATP Tour for the first time since Aug. 5 earlier this month and has slowly moved into top gear at the first major of the year, reaching the last eight after a gritty performance against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

The sixth seed expects another challenging encounter against Canadian Shapovalov, who beat him as a teenager in their first meeting on the hard courts at Montreal in 2017, although the 35-year-old has since improved the head-to-head record to 3-1.

“It’s going to be a tough one for me ... It’s a match to try my best, to play at my highest level if I want to have chances to go through,” Nadal told reporters. “Yeah, I’m excited about it. I didn’t expect to be where I am weeks ago.”

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2022-01-25T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-25T08:00:00.0000000Z

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