Nadal sets up dream final v Federer
AUSTRALIAN OPEN Spaniard outlasts Bulgarian Dimitrov in five sets to set up summit clash against 17time Grand Slam champion HEAD TO HEAD I always had the confidence that if I am able to win some matches, then anything can happen.
MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal set up an Australian Open final against his great rival Roger Federer after edging Grigor Dimitrov in a classic five-set semi-final which stretched for nearly five hours on Friday.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion pulled off one of his toughest victories in denying Bulgaria’s Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in four hours and 56 minutes in front of a rocking Rod Laver Arena crowd.
Nadal showed his incredible fighting qualities to claw back from behind in the ninth game of the final set and break Dimitrov’s serve, making two tremendous chases to put away the winning volley.
In scenes of high tension, Dimitrov bravely saved two match points as Nadal served for the match before the gutsy Spaniard finally clinched victory, sinking to his knees in relief and jubilation.
“It’s special to play with Roger again in a final of a Grand Slam. I cannot lie, it’s great,”
Wimbledon: SerenA WilliAms
Wimbledon: Venus WilliAms
Wimbledon: SerenA WilliAms Time: (ESP x9) bt (BUL x15)
said Nadal, after setting up his ninth Major final against his old rival.
“It’s exciting for me and for both of us that we are still there and we are still fighting for important events. So that’s important for us, I think. I hope to be ready to compete well again. I need to go back to the hotel, to rest well, and to recover from now.”
Nadal, who downed
Federer in the 2009 final, is now into his fourth Australian
Open decider and his 21st Grand Slam title match. He leads Federer 6-2 in their Major finals.
Neither player had been expected to reach the final but after the early exits of top seeds Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, they have seized their opportunity with both hands.
Nadal, 30, has been out of the Grand Slam limelight since his last title success at Roland Garros in 2014, as injuries sidetracked his glorious career.
On Sunday, he can win his second Australian Open title and become the first man in the Open Era — and only the third man in history — to win each of the four Grand Slam titles twice.
Federer, who also went five sets against Stan Wawrinka in Thursday’s first semifinal, would have been watching with relish as Nadal was taken the distance in a draining battle.
Nadal and Dimitrov played each other to a standstill in Friday’s epic, with two tiebreakers going either way in a match that ran to nearly 1:00 am on Saturday.
He is no stranger to marathon matches at the Australian Open, including his record, five-hour, 53-minute struggle against Djokovic in the 2012 final.
“Grigor was playing unbelievable, it was a great match,” the former world No 1 said praising his young opponent. “I think both of us deserve to be in that final, it was a great fight. Finally it was me, I feel lucky and I am very happy for that.”
“It’s never easy to lose a match like that,” said Dimitrov, who hit 79 winners. “But it also shows me that I’m on the right path. At least one thing I can say is I left it all out there on court.” NEWDELHI:It’s