2018 AO Men's QF: Nadal - Cilic

[El Dude]

Rafa didn't do much there - Cilic just imploded for no good reason.

 

[Moxie]

Long rally and Cilic won it. That's not right.

 

[Moxie]

Beautiful FH to take the set. Nadal needed to play better and he has sharpened it up. Still room for improvement. I think Cilic is working hard to keep up this level.

 

[mrzz]

That's what I call an up and down match. Some fantastic points and some terrible errors all mixed together.

 

[Moxie]

That's what I call an up and down match. Some fantastic points and some terrible errors all mixed together.

It's no thriller. I'm hoping for Rafa to win this set so I can go back to bed.

 

[mrzz]

Nadal has been choosing perfectly his net rushes... usual for him I know but seems a bit more in this match.

 

[mrzz]

It's no thriller. I'm hoping for Rafa to win this set so I can go back to bed.

Fognini, Fognini, Fogniiiiiiiiiini... bwahahahahhahaha!

 

[atttomole]

Rafa gets the break in the second set.

 

[Moxie]

Cilic got the time violation warning, complained, distracted himself, and DF'd the break away. He has been the slower, but it was a bad time for her to give it.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Really awful call by the umpire on that time violation. I know Cilic did take a lot of time, but he hadn't been warned before and doing it on break point, which umpires often tend to do for the first time, ignores the feel for the game. I know it's because players take more time on crucial points, but if they hadn't been warned (meaning they weren't going overboard before), let it slide the first time and warn them in between games. That said, Cilic let it affect him way too much.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Slider out wide still not clicking for Nadal, but he's playing overall much better than in the previous round.

 

[atttomole]

Azderaki's umpiring is sometimes questionable.

 

[atttomole]

Cilic breaks back. I expected him to fizzle after he got broken.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Sloppy by Nadal. Broken back. Forehand has been a little inconsistent.

 

[Moxie]

Azderaki's umpiring is sometimes questionable.

I thought she was generally really good.

 

[mrzz]

I disagree with you guys about the time violation. It was a warning after all. This idea of "choosing" the right time to give a warning or a penalty is the mother of all injustice (even if sometimes with good intentions).

 

[brokenshoelace]

Cilic breaks back, holds and is suddenly playing his best stretch of the match. Nadal definitely sloppy over the past couple of games. Needs a service hold badly here as you can see the unforced errors mounting and he's looking visibly shaky.

 

[Moxie]

Rafa's dropped his intensity. I thought it was Cilic that couldn't keep ahold of his.

 

[mrzz]

I thought she was generally really good.

I think she is Goffin using a wig.

 

[Moxie]

I disagree with you guys about the time violation. It was a warning after all. This idea of "choosing" the right time to give a warning or a penalty is the mother of all injustice (even if sometimes with good intentions).

Fair point. That's the argument for the shot clock, I guess.