Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco: Score and Reaction from 2016 Australian Open

Just as it was seven years ago, Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal went five sets at the Australian Open. This time, it was Verdasco who upset Nadal in the first round in Melbourne.

It wasn't a semifinal match, but this was a classic as Verdasco went the distance (7-6, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2) to hand Nadal his second career first-round loss in a major tournament.

This is also the first time Nadal has lost in the first round in Melbourne, per ESPN Tennis.

The Australian Open tweeted about Verdasco's stunning victory:

Nadal and Verdasco were involved in the longest match in Australian Open history back in 2009. The semifinal went five sets and ended at five hours and 14 minutes. Nadal went on to win the Aussie Open championship over Roger Federer, another match that went five sets.

This encounter almost went as long as that historic collision, and it had all the elements needed for a classic.

The first set was a marathon, setting the tone for the match. Nadal and Verdasco went over an hour, with the underdog taking it, 7-6. Tennis.com tweeted out the statistics:

Having come up just short in the initial set, Nadal began to take control by winning the next two. Nadal took the second set, 6-4, but once again it took an almighty effort.

The Australian Open tweeted a GIF that summed up Nadal's feelings:

Nadal took the third set a bit more convincingly, 6-3, and it appeared Verdasco began to tire. The power he utilized throughout the first three sets started to waver, and Nadal used his soft touch and pace to dictate the match.

Tennis writer Nick Nemeroff noted just how much of an impact that would have going forward:

That turned out to be the difference-maker in the fourth set. Aussie Open analyst Craig O'Shannessy noted how Verdasco was able to find every opening on the court to take a 5-3 lead:

But flashbacks of the Nadal who ran wild in the 2000s took over. He dominated the next three games to take a 6-5 lead and had a chance to put away Verdasco in improbable fashion. Down 30-15, however, Verdasco stormed back to win the next three points to force a fourth-set tiebreaker.

Kelyn Soong of the Washington Post began to wonder if this match would ever end:

Despite losing the lead in the fourth set, Verdasco won the tiebreaker, 7-4, to force a fifth set as the four-hour mark passed. 

Nadal took a 2-1 lead after Verdasco got on the board in the third game. Verdasco won the point after rallying back to force a deuce. At the four-hour, 23-minute mark, Verdasco evened the final stanza at two games apiece with a vicious forehand. Nemeroff noted that Verdasco put the most power he's had all night into those two shots:

Shortly after, Verdasco took a 3-2 lead after an amazing return shot that just edged inside the tram line to go up 40-0. The underdog seemed to put the proverbial nail in the coffin with an ace to go up 30-0 in the seventh game, and took a 5-2 lead.

Verdasco trailed 30-0 in the eighth and final game but stormed back to win the next four points for the dramatic upset at four hours and 41 minutes.

Christopher Clarey of the New York Times chimed in with his thoughts:

There was no better way for Open season to get underway. Two of Spain's finest used every bit of energy they had in the hot, humid climate for the right to move on to the second round. The match from 2009 was epic.

Seven years later, the rematch was just as outstanding. And this time, it's Verdasco who came out victorious.

Postmatch Reaction

A man won this match with his eyes closed. At least, that's how Verdasco played it, per the ATP World Tour:

"

I was just closing my eyes and everything went in! In the fourth set I started serving better than the second and third. He started playing less deep and strong. I started coming inside the court, being aggressive and it went well. Winning against Rafa in five sets here, coming from two sets to one down, is an unbelievable feeling.

"

For someone who played this match by swinging at will, the strategy paid off for Verdasco. He recorded 90 winners compared to Nadal's 37, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times.

Verdasco came into this match ranked No. 45 in the world, while Nadal entered this tournament as the fifth-best player in the men's draw. Verdasco will meet Israel's Dudi Sela in the second round.

Not only did Verdasco more than double up Nadal in winners, but he nearly tripled him in aces with 20 to his opponent's seven. That turned out to be one of the many differences in this match.