Rafael Nadal eased into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over Lukas Lacko on Rod Laver Arena, setting up a meeting with Feliciano Lopez or John Isner.
Despite his winsome, cherubic looks, Lacko is only a year younger than Nadal and is one of only nine players to have won a 6-0 set against the Spaniard (in Doha last year). He showed no signs of repeating the feat today. The first point of the match was a 28-stroke rally which ended when Nadal forced an error from the world No. 119, and Lacko went on to be broken at love. Perhaps taken aback by the earlier start or the ease of that break, Nadal put in a terrible game of his own, attempting a dropshot off a return which gave up two break points, and was eventually pegged back to 1-1. Lacko held once more, but Nadal quickly cleaned up his game and broke again to lead 3-2. The world No. 2 did not look back from there.
Ranked as high as No. 60 in the world in 2010, Lacko tumbled out of the Top 100 and spent much of 2011 playing Challenger tournaments. This was his first appearance in the third round of a Grand Slam and he did not acquit himself particularly well, relieving Nadal of the necessity to break down his game. Repeatedly, he placed himself in excellent positions to command the point and then missed the final shot, making the occasional stunning winner down the line but more often committing an unforced error. The quality of his ball-striking and his speed around the court initially promised a sterner test for Nadal, but it never quite materialized.
It was, therefore, a straightforward match for Nadal, and the sternest criticism one can make of his performance was that he only broke Lacko’s serve once in the second set. The second seed’s serving continues to impress; he served at 81 percent for the match and won 85 percent of points behind his first serve. More subjectively, there was an authority and conviction about his serving, which suggests he was looking to achieve something on every point, seemingly trying to hit every spot inside the service box and continuing to utilize the serve out wide more than ever. He also continues to flatten out and drive high balls greater than before. Otherwise, it was standard Nadal fare of ruthless, battering brilliance from the baseline.
With the match well in hand, serving at 2-1 in the final set, Nadal played perhaps his best point of the tournament so far, soaking up the pressure from Lacko, hitting deep on the run, and ending with a backhand winner that was measured to perfection. He was off the court in under two hours, and that, too, sets an ominous precedent. It remains to be seen how his improved serving will hold up against a better returner, but everything looks good for the second seed going into the round of sixteen.
—Hannah Wilks
