NADAL MOVES AHEAD

MELBOURNE: Hours after reigning champion Novak Djokovic crashed out, Rafael Nadal raised hopes of filling the power vacuum after demolishing Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the third round.

Djokovic loomed as a potential semi-final opponent for Nadal but the Serb’s upset by Istomin shook up the draw and left the Spaniard as the sole Grand Slam champion in the bottom half. Nadal has had two lean years at the majors, but on the same arena where Djokovic fell to Istomin, the 14-time major champion showed enough of the old passion and firepower to suggest he may yet go deep in the second week.

“What Novak did here is just amazing,” said Nadal, paying tribute to the fallen ‘Big Four’ colleague who edged him in an epic for the 2012 title, the longest Grand Slam final played. “Six victories here, six titles. So it’s normal then (to lose). It’s not possible to be every time in that situation.”