14-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal has been eliminated from the Australian Open after suffering a frustrating defeat at the hands of Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych.
The 29 year-old ended a 17 match losing streak to Nadal by clinching a fashionable victory on straight sets to effectively book his spot in the semis.
Berdych clinched the first set 6-2, before steamrolling past Nadal to win the second set 6-0. Nadal recovered and bounced back to produce a stronger challenge in the third set, but Berdych was far too dominant to let go of it, eventually winning it 7-5 to secure victory.
After wrapping up the win in two hours and 30 minutes, Berdych will now advance to the semi-finals to face either Nick Kyrgios or Andy Murray; leaving him just one step away from a Grand Slam final.
“I was definitely ready for it. I stuck with my plan all the way. That was the biggest difference from the [previous] matches,” Berdych told The Guardian.
I started pretty well but you have to keep going to the last point against Rafa. He’s a great fighter and he tried to come back in the third. You are playing with one of the greatest tennis players ever, so you just have to keep calm, even at 5-4, whether you are ahead or not,” he added.
Other posts by Ruth Ho
