Rafael Nadal is on to the 2012 Australian Open semifinals, where a familiar foe, Roger Federer, awaits. He made his way past Tomas Berdych in a typically grinding four-set match in the quarterfinals to earn his spot.
Rafael Nadal Onto Australian Open 2012 Semifinals With Four-Set Win
No. 2 Nadal beat No. 7 Berdych 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-3, in a four-hour, 13-minute match that forced him to play 16 more games and win 52 more points than he had played in any match prior to the quarterfinal round in the 2012 Australian Open. Nadal had breezed by his first four opponents in straight sets without so much as one tiebreaker.
For his victory, Nadal has earned just his third berth in the Australian Open semifinals, and his first trip to the semifinal round since 2009, when he went on to win his only Australian Open. He’ll meet Federer, who dispatched Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets; in 2009, Nadal beat Federer in the final in a five-set classic to earn his sixth Grand Slam victory.
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