Rafael Nadal Eases Past Matthew Ebden to Reach Round 3 of Australian Open

Rafael Nadal moved into the third round of the 2018 Australian Open on Wednesday, as he overcame home favourite Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Nadal is seeking just his second title in this event, having previously triumphed a decade ago. The signs have been positive for him so far in two matches against Australian opponents, following a first-round victory over James Duckworth.

Nadal held off a spirited start from his opponent in this encounter, only to show his class later in the contest and thrill the crowd with a number of winners.

Next up for the Spaniard will be another Australian in 19-year-old Alex De Minaur—Nadal has already faced two home players—who eventually got the better of Henri Laaksonen in an epic five-set encounter.

The initial signals in this match at the Rod Laver Arena were that Nadal was going to be in for a challenging night, as Ebden lit up the court for spells of the first set.

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With the score level at 3-3, the Australian had chances to take the set away from the 17-time Grand Slam champion too, carving out three break points. Ebden was unable to take any—he missed one volley into the open court at the net—and Nadal snatched the game to move 4-3 in front.

Seemingly with that miss still in his mind, Ebden crumbled from that point on, with two double faults in the next game allowing Nadal to break and eventually clinch the set. Tennis writer Abigail Johnson praised the Spaniard's ability to find his best when it matters:

In the second set, the impetus Ebden had in the initial exchanges seeped away and Nadal capitalised with an early break.

From there, the second seed started to put the hammer down, ramping up his serve and firing on return. He was finding angles, reading Ebden's movements, and the Australian simply wasn't able to cope with the onslaught.

At times, Ebden could only stand and applaud some of Nadal's shot-making:

Another break late in the set put the gloss on a masterful segment of tennis from the Spaniard and after going on to take the stanza 6-2, there was now a mountain to climb for a weary Ebden.

If there were any lingering hopes of a comeback from the Australian crowd, they were quickly banished by an improving Nadal at the start of the third set, as he secured a break in the third game and was able to consolidate.

Ebden was scrapping to stay alive by any means necessary, and he won a thrilling scrambling point to prevent Nadal moving a further break in front at 3-1.

However, it was only postponing the inevitable, as Nadal retook control of proceedings and continued his march towards Round 3. Another break opened up a chasm in the third set, allowing the second seed to coast to a routine win.

After a sloppy start, the Spaniard would have been delighted with how he played in the last two sets and looks poised to be a force in the latter stages of the first major of the year.