Australian Open: Rafa revelry

MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal's wild and raucous post match celebration at the Australian Open is what he once reserved for the end of tournaments. On Monday, after the Spaniard ousted the sixth-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils in the fourth round to make his first major quarterfinals in two years, he jumped and screamed and invited the packed-to-the-rafters Rod Laver Arena to join him.
Nadal won 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 56 minutes and will meet the third-seeded Milos Raonic, his conqueror in the quarterfinals in Brisbane earlier this month, in the last eight clash on Wednesday .
Nadal said he was happy with his attitude, especially at the business-end of the clash.“Sometimes it is tough to play against Gael, you don't know what he's going to do,“ the 30-year-old said. “First two sets were a little bit more normal. Then he starts to play more aggressive. He combines mistakes with great shots. Make you feel that you don't know if you have to go for the points or if you have to wait little bit for his mistake. I keep fighting with positive attitude. Finally I played last few games well.“
Nadal, who hasn't made a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the French Open in 2015, served out the first set after Monfils delighted the crowd with his touch play, drawing the 2009 champion in with a drop shot and then teasing him with a lob.Nadal repaid the compliment in the next game, breaking Monfils in the opening game of the second set. In the sixth game, the Spaniard fell behind 0-40 before surrendering his serve. Nadal hit back like a strong tide in the next game breaking Monfils at love, passing him on both sides. Nadal broke his 30-year-old opponent again in the ninth game when he was serving to stay in the set.
The first eight games of the third set went with serve. Monfils, egged on by his Swedish coach Mikael Tillstrom, finally managed to string it together to break the Spaniard in the ninth game at 15 when Nadal sprayed his forehand. Monfils then served out the set. Nadal, whose backcourt play was beginning to carry the first hint of ragged, was broken in the fifth game after he fell back 0-40. A net chord undid Nadal's fightback and helped the athletic Frenchman take the lead. The ninthseed broke to level scores in the eighth game and again in the tenth when Monfils' shot went slightly wide on the Spaniard's second match point.
Nadal, cheered on by his coaches uncle Toni and former No.1 Carlos Moya, who coached Raonic until December when he moved camps, was also cheered on by his girlfriend Xisca Perello. During his on-court interview, Nadal told American ace Jim Courier that “my girlfriend has got a wildcard to come to Australia after 10 years.“ Courier said, “I'm speechless, only a wildcard after ten years, not main draw?“ A stumped Nadal quickly told Courier that it was best they `stopped here!'.
Belgium's 11th-seed David Goffin knocked out Austria's eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-2 and will play Bulgaria's 15th-seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight.Dimitrov rallied to stop wildcard entrant Denis Istomin, the conqueror of Novak Djokoviv, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-1. Thirdseeded Canadian Milos Raonic was too good for Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, coming through 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a little under three hours.