Nadal beats Cilic, inches closer to script history
By Biswajeet Panda
oi-Biswajeet Panda
Melbourne, Jan 24: Spain's Rafael Nadal is now one more step closer to the realisation of the "Rafa Slam" as he beat World No.15 Marin Cilic 6-2 6-4 6-3 to enter in to the quarter-finals of Australian Open 2011.
If he manages to win the title, then he will join the elite club of Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) as the only men to hold all four major crowns at the same time.
Cilic hit 32 winners compared to Nadal's 26, but his 48 unforced errors as opposed to the Spaniards 21 tilted the match in Nadal's favour.
Nadal broke twice to clinch the first set in a liitle under an hour, but was stretched by Cilic in the second and third sets. For all of Cilic's resilience the inevitable still happened as Nadal won the match to inch closer to the "Rafa Slam".