Australian Open preview: is Nadal vs Cilic tennis's David vs Goliath?

What's the story?

The quarter-finals begin today at the Australian Open, with Gregor Dimitrov playing against Kyle Edmund, and Rafael Nadal against Marin Cilic in the men's singles draw. The audience will definitely be looking forward to the Nadal and Cilic clash as it promises to be a thorough entertainer.

In case you didn't know...

The Spaniard is showing no signs of his knee injury so far in the tournament as he swiftly eliminated his opponents barring David Schwartzmann. He has a chance to repeat the success that he achieved last year if he continues his red hot form. Cilic has also had a good run so far in the tournament and he is eager to better his record at the Grand slams. The contest takes place in the day time which will test the physical endurance of both the players.

The heart of the matter

In the other men's quarter-final setup, Dimitrov plays against Edmund, the new British sensation who has helped the British fans get through Andy Murray's absence at the Australian Open. The British lad has created ab upset in the first round of the tournament itself by defeating Kevin Anderson. It will be interesting to see how he will be tackling Grigor Dimitrov, who is looking more confident after a win over the local favorite, Nick Kyrgios.

Coming to the women's singles, fourth seed Elina Svitolina will be playing against the Belgian Elise Mertens. The experience of already playing a quarter-final in a grand slam event will be an advantage to Svitolina.

The last match for the day will be taking place between the second seed Caroline Wozniacki and Suarez Navvaro at the Rod Laver Arena. Wozniacki, the former world number one, will be hoping that the quest for a grand slam title will be fulfilled this time as title favorites such as Gabrine Muguruza and Jelena Ostapenko have already been eliminated from the tournament.

What's next?

The winners in the today's men's round will be facing a tougher challenge in the semi-finals as the potential opponents in the men's section include the great Roger Federer and the new sensations Chung Hyeon and Tennys Sandgren. Similarly, the road to the finals will be tough for today's contenders in the women's draw as they may either the world number one Simona Halep or the resurgent Angelique Kerber from Germany. All in all, this year's Australian Open is a visual treat to watch for the viewers.

Author's take

The most anticipated match of the day between Nadal and Cilic is a tricky one to decide who will come out as a winner. The match will easily go four sets. My heart says Nadal but my brain says Cilic. May the best player win!