World no.2 Rafael Nadal will play Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open on Saturday, February 13. Timings of this match will be available upon the release of order of play. Get the live streaming options of this Rafael Nadal v Cameron Norrie match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
Looking to watch 2021 Australian Open live streaming online?
- For tennis fans in the UK, Europe, Australia & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here* to watch & bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
- Get all the other Australian Open 2021 live streaming options here
[the_ad id=”14063″]
*Advertisement. Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Rafael Nadal v Cameron Norrie Head to Head
Nadal and Norrie will meet for the first time on Saturday.
Also Read:
Clinical Nadal Moves Past Mmoh
Bad back? More like back in the groove.
Rafael Nadal was at his scintillating best in another straight sets demolition of Michael Mmoh of the United States. Whatever dumbfounding claims pundits and journalists had reported of Nadal’s injury problems, we can safely agree they have been laid to rest.
Mmoh had secured a very impressive comeback win over Viktor Troicki in his previous round, and he seemed determined to finish off points on his dime. Rallies lasting between 0-4 shots were highly competitive, with Mmoh winning 35 and Nadal 40.
But Nadal is tennis’ ultimate marathon man for a reason. He outmaneuvered his opponent, who is not the cleanest striker of a ball on the run. The American’s returns were hitting straight into Nadal’s sweet spot to crunch winners. The 2009 champion fired 40 winners, and won 94% of points at the net. The Spaniard was also at his vintage best in the lengthy exchanges, winning 46 points to Mmoh’s 19.
Nadal’s stiff back is showing no effect on his movement and general coordination in his game. He was forced to miss the ATP Cup for Spain last week, but so far in two matches at the Australian Open, he has dropped a combined total of 15 games.
For a player who entered the tournament short on match practice, that is a ridiculous number.
[the_ad id=”30344″]
Norrie, Great Britain’s Last Man Standing
The sight of Cameron Norrie roaring in delight, punching the air and giving his best impression of a fist pump any boxer would be proud of, was a sight that will certainly be greeted with plaudits back home. At the conclusion of a rain-interrupted second round match against Roman Safiullin, Norrie is now Britain’s last man standing at this year’s Australian Open.
Before this year, the world no.69 had only ever reached the third round of a Grand Slam once. That was at last year’s US Open. But he has replicated that feat in Melbourne, where he had never won a match before this week.
Norrie came through in four sets against the Russian qualifier Safiullin, to follow up on his massive win over compatriot Dan Evans in the first round. The left-handed Brit had taken a 2-1 sets lead, when the match was temporarily suspended due to bad weather. Fortunately for him, Jessica Pegula’s quickfire 50-minute win over Sam Stosur meant the match was moved to Margaret Court Arena instead of resumption on Friday.
There were nerves as he tried to close out victory. First he was broken while serving for the match at 6-5, but regained his composure to win the match in a tiebreak.
A first meeting against Nadal awaits.
Nadal v Norrie Prediction and Tip
Nadal seems to be thriving on these fast courts this year, which is so unlike him. We expect the Spaniard to keep rolling in what should be another comfortable day’s work.
Tip: Nadal to win in straight sets: 1/4 (bet365)
[the_ad id=”30513″]
The 2021 Australian Open will be played from February 8 to 21. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
Be the first to comment