Nadal out of Aussie Open
Cilic advances to Aussie Open semis MELBOURNE, Australia — An injured and visibly struggling Rafael Nadal retired while trailing in the fifth set of his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Marin Cilic.
Top-ranked Nadal saved five break points in the last game before Cilic broke his serve, then Nadal went to shake hands with the umpire and his opponent, and angrily hurled his headband into his equipment bag.
No. 6-seeded Cilic advanced to his first semifinal in Australia since 2010 with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 2-0, retired.
Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, will next play No. 49-ranked Kyle Edmund, who earlier beat No. 3-ranked Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.
“Really unfortunate for Rafa. He is an unbelievable competitor,” Cilic said. “Always gives his best and it’s very unfortunate for him to finish this way.”
It was only the second time Nadal had retired during a Grand Slam match — the last time was also an Australian Open quarterfinal, in 2010 against Andy Murray.
On Tuesday night, he needed a medical timeout after going down 4-1 in the fourth set, getting treatment on his upper right leg and hip.
Nadal returned but was clearly bothered by the injury, limping and trying to stretch between points.
He called the trainer again after the fourth set, and lasted only two more games before finishing the 3-hour, 47-minute match.
Cilic had only previously beaten Nadal once in their six previous matches — in their first match at Beijing in 2009.
Nadal had a delayed start to the season because of an injured right knee, but appeared to be in good form through the first four rounds. Now the 16-time major winner hasn’t won back-to-back Australian Open quarterfinals since 2008 and ’09, the year he won his only title at Melbourne Park.
His absence also means there’s only one of last year’s finalists remaining in the tournament. Roger Federer, who beat Nadal in five sets last year, is playing Tomas Berdych in a quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Serena Williams didn’t defend her title, deciding she hadn’t had enough time to prepare following the birth of her first child last September. Her older sister, Venus Williams, was beaten in the first round.
On top of that, six-time champion Novak Djokovic was upset in the fourth round on Monday by Hyeon Chung.
There’ll be a British man in the Australian Open semifinals for the seventh time in nine years, but it won’t be Murray — who skipped the season-opening tournament to have surgery on his hip.