Nadal to meet Federer in Australian semis
Rafael Nadal celebrates after victory in his quarter-final men's singles match against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic on the ninth day of the Australian Open. (Jan. 24, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The intensity was vintage Rafael Nadal.
On the stroke of midnight last night, he thrust his arms up and punched the air, sealing the victory that sets up the most anticipated semifinal at the Australian Open in quite some time.
Roger Federer did his part to put this in place. In the previous match at Rod Laver Arena, he beat 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, in a quarterfinal marking his 1,000th tour-level match.
A Federer-Nadal semifinal had been looming since the draw for Australian -- the first time the two have been in the same half at a Grand Slam tournament since 2005.
Playing with a new racket and a heavily taped right knee, Nadal beat Tomas Berdych 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3
In a quarterfinal today, fourth-seeded Andy Murray beat Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Sharapova, Kvitova gain: Fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova beat Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-3, today to reach the semifinals. The 2008 Australian Open champion will next face Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who ended the run of unseeded Sara Errani, 6-4, 6-4.
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