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The Spaniard reached the semifinals of the Australian Open without losing a set after sending Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4 6-2 to the Rod Laver Arena to compete with another star of the next generation, Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas represented another Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut, during the day session at Melbourne Park, after his surprise against Roger Federer.
World No. 2, Nadal – Federer's friend and rival on the field – has entered the first major of the year by playing a final official match at the US Open. He then ended his season due to additional injuries.
But by facing his opponents aided by a new service movement, the winner of the Grand Slam 17 times went to four.
Last time, he did not drop his game en route to the semi-finals in a major player outside his favorite Roland-Garros? In 2011 at the US Open, he finally fell to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Given the absence of Nadal late 2018 due to an injury to the abdomen and an ankle surgery, many might not have expected this to happen. that the world No. 2 goes so far.
Nadal-Djokovic on the cards?
Now, however, something other than a Nadal-Djokovic duel in the final would be surprising. If he leaves Down Under with the trophy, the 32 year old player would become the first man to win each of the Grand Slam tournaments at least twice.
His only crown at the Australian Open came exactly ten years ago.
Djokovic plays his quarterfinal on Wednesday against Kei Nishikori.
Not only has the world No. 1 won 14 consecutive wins against Nishikori, but the Japanese shooter has already played against five to five.
His last match, against Pablo Carreno Busta, was the longest in the group at over five hours.
Keep an eye on Djokovic's back, though. He felt uneasy in his strong four-set victory over Russia's Daniil Medvedev in Monday's night session.
Playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Tiafoe needed a good start to have a chance to upset Nadal.
This is the reverse that occurred: the 21-year-old American was defeated in the first game.
Nadal did not really have that tough moments halfway through the second set when he had to save two points in 10 minutes.
He did and Tiafoe did not have the opportunity to create an element of doubt in the spirit of the Spanish.
This is still a decisive breakthrough for the world number 39.
Good tournament for Tiafoe
Tiafoe thwarted Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov, becoming a crowd favorite with his happy celebrations.
Now many will know that his family has left Sierra Leone to settle in the United States. He learned to play at the tennis center near Washington, where his father was the guardian.
It was not, he said, a typical start of a tennis career.
Nadal's career has been exceptional. Tinker with the service motion, he said, was initiated to extend his own career, and the Spaniard extended his stay in Melbourne on Tuesday with a new performance.
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