Nadal stops Federer in thriller

Roger Federer, left, congratulates Rafael Nadal after their semifinal match.

In tennis, the times they may be a-changin’ but some things remain resolutely the same: Roger Federer cannot get the better of Rafael Nadal at the Grand Slam events. He struggles to beat the raging bull at most of the other tournaments, too, but when it comes to the majors, Nadal reigns supreme.

Federer has not beaten the Spaniard at a Grand Slam tournament since Wimbledon 2007. Indeed, his only two wins against Nadal at a major have both come on the grass of SW19 – and Nadal redressed that balance by winning their next Wimbledon showdown in 2008. In 10 meetings at the big events, Nadal has won eight times; in 27 meetings overall, the Swiss has won just nine times.

As Federer’s final forehand sailed over the baseline on Thursday – the 36th forehand fluff from the once mighty Swiss – Nadal celebrated as if he had won the trophy. He had stood firm in the face of everything his old rival had to throw at him and he had emerged the 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 winner. It had taken three hours and 42 minutes of eye-watering effort, but Nadal was through to the final. Again. Federer, meanwhile, retired to lick his wounds.

For almost two weeks, Federer had looked stylish, confident and dominant (he had not dropped a set on his way to the semifinal) and for the first five games against Nadal, he had looked unbeatable. But it did not matter. Not against Nadal.

Nadal had seemed dejected and lost as Novak Djokovic beat him in six finals last year and wrenched the No.1 ranking from his grasp. He did not know how to deal with the new-look Serb, the Djokovic who swept all before him. But put Federer in front of the man from Manacor and suddenly everything changes, suddenly everything becomes clear.

Nadal and Federer have been chasing each other around the globe for the past nine years – there are no secrets between them and neither man can surprise the other. Roger knows exactly what Rafa is going to do against him and, more importantly, Rafa knows that it is going to work.

“We have had good matches over the years,” Federer said. “I enjoy playing him. The crowd really gets into it, which is nice. We have a lot of respect for each other, which is good, too, I think.


“You know, works as well at the highest of levels. We also play well against each other. I always think he plays a bit better against me than against other players, but that's good for him.”

The problem for Federer – and for most everyone else, too – is that Nadal is like a bulldozer. The sheer force and power, both mental and physical, of the world No.2 is enough to crush almost everything in his path. Other men – even men as brilliant as Federer – cannot maintain such relentless pressure over the course of four or five sets but Nadal appears to get stronger with every game that passes.

Once upon a time, Federer was the best front-runner in the business, but then Nadal pushed his way to the fore. Now, aged 30, he can still play brilliantly but he can only do it in spells. There are times when the frustration mounts or the pressure becomes too much – and then Nadal goes for the kill.

Even so, for much of those four sets, the two old war horses put on a display that took the breath away. The power, the placement and the sheer audacity of some of the winners was remarkable; the fact that they were able to conjure up such magic game after game was beyond belief. No matter how many times you see them play, Nadal and Federer still make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

For Nadal, beating Federer had been a major stepping stone. After the disappointments of last season’s finals against Djokovic and the injuries he had collected by the end of the year, the very fact he has reached another final means that he is ready to compete with the best again. He is fit, he is playing with passion and aggression – and that bodes well for the rest of the season.

“I am very happy about my result on these two weeks,” he said. “I did much better than what I thought, what I dreamed for three weeks ago. So very happy for everything. It's a fantastic victory for me. Very, very happy playing against the greatest of the history in semifinals, big match on Rod Laver. It's one of the victories that's going to stay in my mind forever, no?

“But if the opponents [in the final] play better than me and he beat me, I going to go home very happy about my tournament. I going to go home knowing that the way that I am working is working very well, and keep working on this way. Probably this way give me a good success in the next months.”

That just leaves one question unanswered: if, as Nadal says, Federer is indeed “the greatest of the history” then what does that make Nadal, his conqueror in 18 of 27 matches? Answers, please, on a postcard.
 
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Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova set up Australian Open semi-final with straight-sets victories



No.2 seed Petra Kvitova has won her way into the semi-finals of the Australian Open. 

Dominant ... Kvitova overpowered her unseeded opponent.

The Czech defeated unseeded Italian Sara Errani in straight sets, 6-4 6-4 in 1 hour and 51 minutes.

Kvitova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, reached her first Australian Open semi-final, snuffing out a brief fightback from Errani in the second set.

Kvitova, the clear favourite, broke serve in the opening game of the match but found herself staring down a service break in the next as the pair fought for an edge.

The Czech took the crucial break to win the first set in 53 minutes before Errani battled her way to a 4-1 edge in the second set.

That was where her challenge ended though as Kvitova won the next five games straight, amassing three match points and sealing the clash after Errani netted a return.

"I expected a tough match because she has been playing well and also today played well," Kvitova said.

"Backhand or forehand, I never knew where the ball would come to. So I had to concentrate on every point and always think about tactics."

Kvitova will now meet Russian Maria Sharapova after the former champion accounted for countrywoman Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-3.

The No.4 seed displayed a pinpoint serve and power-packed returns to overwhelm Makarova.

She cruised through the first set in 42 minutes but had to fight to seal the match as Makarova saved three match points.

Sharapova eventually clinched a berth in the semis in one hour and 27 minutes.

"It's been a long road back but after all those winning points it's been worth it," said Sharapova, who anticipated a tough battle against Kvitova.

"She is playing the best tennis," she said.

Both Sharapova and Kvitova have a chance of becoming the world No.1 at the end of the Open.


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