Saturday, October 12

Nadal to face Medvedev in Australian Open final

Agency

Rafael Nadal moved one win away from a record 21st Grand Slam men’s title after a dominant start enabled him to beat Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the Australian Open semi-finals on Friday.

According to the BBC, seventh seed Berrettini eventually turned the match into a contest, but Nadal completed a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is level on 20 major titles with long-time rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

With an eye to surpass the record, Nadal next faces Daniil Medvedev, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, in Sunday’s final.

Nadal’s achievement in reaching a 29th Grand Slam final comes only a few months after he thought a foot injury could end his illustrious career, BBC further reported.

Russian second seed Medvedev edged a high-quality battle with Greek fourth seed Tsitsipas, winning 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Friday’s second men’s semi-final.

Medvedev, 25, is aiming for his second successive Grand Slam title after winning the maiden major of his career at the US Open in September.

He is also looking to go one step further in Melbourne after losing in last year’s final to Djokovic, who did not play this year after being deported from Australia in a visa row related to him being unvaccinated.

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