ThrowbackTimes Madrid: Rafael Nadal eases past Nick Kyrgios with 34 winners

• Tennis News
• Rafael Nadal

Ever since the draw came out, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios were set to play an entertaining third-round clash in Madrid 2017, with the Spaniard keeping the battle only on paper! Rafa proved to be too good for Nick on that day, beating the Aussie 6-3, 6-1 in 72 minutes to reach his eighth Madrid Masters quarter-final in nine editions at Caja Magica.

It was the third meeting between these two, with Nick stunning Rafa at Wimbledon 2014 and making him run for his money a year ago in Rome, winning the opening set before Nadal turned the match into his favor. There was only one player on the court in Madrid four years ago, though, as Nadal played one of his best matches of the season to reach the last eight.

He completely tamed Kyrgios's shots and dominated the rallies, staying away from mistakes and not letting Nick dictate the points. Of course, the younger player tried to impose his strokes, with no other way to hurt Nadal on the slowest surface.

Still, he couldn't reach Nadal's level, making way too many easy errors and never finding the right rhythm. It was the first tournament for Nick on clay that year, skipping Estoril due to his grandfather's death, going home to Australia and not preparing well for Madrid.

Kyrgios would have needed his best tennis if he wanted to challenge such a strong rival anyway, as Nadal played on a high level from start to finish. The Spaniard served well, untroubled in his service games besides the break he suffered in the opener's fifth game, playing equally good on the return to steal 55% of the points on Nick's serve!

Rafa dropped just ten points on serve (four in that game when he got broken) and was all over his rival on the return, creating 11 break chances and converting five for a commanding triumph. Kyrgios had 11 service winners, struggling to make an impact with his initial shot outside that.

Nadal's returns were deep and accurate, taking time off from the opponent's shots and neutralizing quick serve & forehand combos that Nick certainly wanted to explore. Even when he had the opportunity to push Nadal further away from the baseline or make him more uncomfortable, Kyrgios couldn't endure the rallies, rushing the attacks and never finding his A-game.

They had a similar number of free points from the serve alone, 11 for Nick and ten for Rafa, and the Aussie expected a much more significant gap in that segment in his favor. Kyrgios hit 16 winners from the field, and Nadal went to a mighty impressive 24, 12 from forehand and an additional eight from a backhand wing!

Rafa hit 17 of these winners in the second set alone to make things even better, leaving Kyrgios utterly hopeless. Nadal had seven unforced errors, keeping his shots well-balanced while Nick committed 22, way too many to stay within any chance for a better result.

Rafael Nadal toppled Nick Kyrgios in Madrid 2017 in just over 70 minutes.

The number of forced errors was similar, and the Aussie made three double faults more than his rival, some of them in critical moments to make things worse.

55% of the points ended in the shortest range up to four shots, and Nadal had a 34-25 edge in them. The Spaniard was even better in the mid-range rallies from five to eight strokes, with a 25-10 lead, which is the best illustrator of how poor Nick was in constructing the points.

There were just 13 points with nine or more strokes, and Rafa won eight of those to complete his domination in both the quickest and more extended exchanges. It was a good start for both players in the first three games, like everybody was hoping for, and Nick looked determined to fight until the final point, blasting a 172 km/h forehand winner in that third game.

Nonetheless, he failed to control his shots in the next one, allowing Nadal to grab a break after a lucky net cord for a 3-1 advantage. He couldn't stay in front for too long, though, as Kyrgios broke back immediately to cut the deficit to 3-2.

He was returning well and avoided errors, finishing the game with a beautiful backhand down the line winner to get back to the positive side of the scoreboard. In game six, Nick wasted a game point and dropped serve after a costly double fault to fall 4-2 behind and send momentum to the other side of the court.

After those six games, Nick had nine winners and unforced errors each, which wasn't enough to have a positive result against Nadal, who had already settled into a nice rhythm. Rafa held at love to move 5-2 ahead, leaving Nick to serve to stay in the set and missing a chance for another break in that eighth game after spraying a forehand error.

Nadal closed the set on his serve in game nine with the second consecutive hold at love, happy with how he performed in the opener and hoping for more of the same in set number two. They both had five service winners, and Nick hit ten winners from the court in comparison to Rafa's seven.

On the other hand, the Aussie also made 13 unforced errors, eight more than Nadal, and had six forced mistakes while the Spaniard stayed on two. The second set's first game was by far the longest of the match, and it was all or nothing for Nick, who hit winners and unforced errors while Rafa waited patiently for his chance for an early break.

Kyrgios wasted three game points and got broken when Nadal found a return winner after five deuces, getting into a driving seat to bring the match home soon. In his remaining three service games, Nadal dropped only two points, offering Nick not even a glimpse of a chance that he would get back on the scoreboard or prolong the match.

Kyrgios got broken at love in the third game, fading from the court and waiting for everything to be over. In game five, the youngster held after three deuces, taking a 12-stroke rally to get his name on the scoreboard before Nadal sealed the deal with another break in game seven after Kyrgios' colossal forehand error.

Nadal had 17 winners and only two unforced errors in the second set's seven games, leaving the opponent far behind and sailing into the quarters.