Australian Open 2022: Rafael Nadal survives Denis Shapovalov scare in 5-set thriller; hands fans Vamos moment

Rafael Nadal has beaten Denis Shapovalov in a five-set thriller during the Australian Open 2022 quarters. He has managed to qualify for the semis for the seventh time at the tournament.

It turned out to be an absolute thriller. On Monday, Rafael Nadal of Spain survived a stern test from Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the quarterfinal of the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne. In a five-set marathon cum thriller, the Spaniard won 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, as he has qualified for the semis for the seventh time in the tournament.

Nadal scripted an unwanted record during the match as he made most double faults in a Grand Slam match of his career. However, he relied on his superior serving techniques, along with aggression from the baseline that ousted the Canadian. The Spaniard will be facing the winner of the Gael Monfils-Matteo Berrettini quarterfinal match.

The opening set was Nadal winning 89 per cent of his serves and wrapping it up 39 minutes. The second set saw an altercation between Shapovalov and the chair-umpire for a possible time violation over Nadal delaying the start of play. Despite being locked at 3-3, Nadal smashed his way through a break-point at the net.

Nadal committed a double fault in the third set that allowed Shapovalov to take the break and go 5-4 up, thus winning the set. As for the fourth set, the Spaniard received a time violation, while another double fault handed the Canadian the set to make it all square. At this time, Nadal called for a medical timeout due to some abdominal issues.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard put his experience into good use and managed a couple of early breaks in the final to breeze past Shapovalov. "I don't know. Honestly, I was destroyed! It was a very tough day, very warm, and I didn't practice for it. I was a little bit lucky at the beginning of the fifth. At the beginning of the match, I was playing great. I know how difficult it is to play against a player like Denis," Nadal said after the win.