Rafael Nadal beats Milos Raonic to make Australian Open semi-finals
| Australian Open 2017 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan |
| Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online. |
Rafael Nadal reached his first Grand Slam semi-final since 2014 with a superb 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 victory over Canada’s third seed Milos Raonic.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner, who has been troubled by injuries in recent years, saved six set points in the second set before dominating the third.
Nadal, who won the title in 2009, faces 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov on Friday after the Bulgarian beat David Goffin.
The Spaniard, 30, remains on course to meet Roger Federer in Sunday’s final.
Federer, 35, will play his fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the first semi-final on Thursday.
Nadal’s win means that six of the eight players in the men’s and women’s semi-finals are over 30.
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Nadal close to his best
Nadal last reached a Grand Slam semi-final when he won the French Open – his last major title – in 2014.
A succession of injuries raised serious concerns about his future but he has battled back and looked close to his very best against the in-form Raonic.
The Spaniard broke the big-serving Canadian once in the first set to take the lead but Raonic, the highest seed left in the men’s draw, looked like he would level the match in the second.
Raonic needed a medical timeout midway through the set for an unspecified problem, but came back stronger and had three set points on Nadal’s serve at 5-4.
Nadal saved them all and then saved two more in the tie-break before Raonic double-faulted on the sixth set point.
The ninth seed took advantage of Raonic’s lack of mobility in the third set to wrap up an impressive victory.
He celebrated with a huge leap before falling to his knees as emotion took over.
Dimitrov on a roll
Dimitrov, who works with Dani Vallverdu, former coach of Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych, beat 11th seed Goffin from Belgium 6-3 6-2 6-4.
The 25-year-old began the year with a title in Brisbane and has now won 10 matches in a row.
“The last two years have been a rollercoaster for me, but I’m happy with the way it happened,” said Dimitrov.
“I’m appreciating things much better now. To be back in the semi-finals of a Slam means too much for me right now.”
He will be appearing in his second major semi-final, having made it to the same stage at Wimbledon in 2014.