Rafa lacked nothing against Lacko ...

... but I don't think the match started out that way.

Firstly ... what sort of Noggin the Nog do I think I am?? Cos I fancy myself as a bit of a nightowl, I thought I would be fine to sit up and watch Rafa's match live, seeing as it started at midnight my time. But by 10.30 pm I was flagging, and when the match started proper, I could barely keep my eyes open. Some of it was because I was slightly worried.

The first point of the match lasted something like 28 shots, and when rally after rally happened in the opening game, I thought we could be on for a long one here. But Rafa broke straight away, only then after about 5 break points, he lost his own opening serve. Gaah! They'd played for half an hour and were only in the 5th game, but that's where the breakthrough came and Rafa broke. He had another service break and held himself, so he ran out the eventual winner of the first set by 6-2. But to be honest, that scoreline wasn't really reflecting how hard it had been for him, and some of the great shots and play that Lacko made.

But when Rafa broke in the first game of the second set and my eyes were looking like pin-holes, I hopped to it and went to bed. I've just caught up with the highlights and to be honest, that break of serve was the only one in the second and so Rafa won it 6-4. Even though the scoreline looks like it was harder for Rafa, to be honest, its a bit of an about turn from the first set, because Rafa played some absolutely marvellous stuff. He was serving fantastically well. Not big, hard bullets, but his wide out left, lefty serve was taking his opponent so far out of court that the next shots were easy. He only managed 2 aces, but it was placement that was doing the damage and causing the easier shots for Rafa. He tried some serve and volley, was much more in the court, his down-the-line forehand was particularly magnificent, and with two breaks of serve again in the third set, he ran out the deserved winner.

As for the stats; 81% first serves in and 85% first service points won, with 78% service points won in total. Impressive stuff. His return points won was pretty good too at 46% and he hit 27 winners. Rafa has yet to lose a set and he showed today that he was warming up nicely. In his next match, wow, he plays the lovely Feli who dispatched of John Izzzzner in 5 sets.

What a beautiful match that will be ...