Rafa digs himself out of hole to make fourth round

Published Fri, Jan 22 10 07:10 PM

Defending champion Rafa Nadal dug himself out of a mid-match slump to defeat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4 6-2 2-6 7-5 and advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.

Nadal, who had not dropped a set in his first two matches at Melbourne Park, hit a brick wall after wrapping up the first two sets, as the German threw caution to the wind to play his shots and clinch the third.

The tactic worked well until 5-5 in the fourth, however, when an unforced error handed Nadal the break and allowed the Spaniard to coolly serve out and seal the match with a sweetly-struck winner.

Nadal next faces Croatian Ivo Karlovic who beat compatriot Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 3-6 6-3 7-6.

Source: Web Search