Tsitsipas continues Melbourne quest

Having already floored Roger Federer to send shockwaves through the tournament, the 14th seed can create further tennis history for his country when he plays for a spot in the final against Rafael Nadal. Under a blazing sun at the Rod Laver Arena, the aggressive baseliner fought back from 2-4 down in the third set and was unflappable in the final tie-break, closing out the match with a pair of booming serves past the Spaniard.

With a victory that triggered a chorus of singing from the Greek fans in the terraces, Tsitsipas became the youngest semi-finalist at Melbourne Park since American Andy Roddick, also 20, at the 2003 tournament. “Feels like a fairytale almost,” he said during an on-court interview. “I’m living a dream, living what I worked so hard for. I feel emotional, but not much. I told people before that Grand Slam semis was my goal. When I was answering that question I thought I was crazy. But no, it’s real. It happened.”

Having saved all 12 break points in his fourth round victory over double defending champion Federer, the Greek’s composure was again key against Bautista Agut. Tsitsipas was denied on a first match point at 6-5 in the fourth set, but shrugged off the near-miss to dominate the tie-break against the 22nd seed.

Rafael Nadal kept the flag flying for the old guard with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over American Frances Tiafoe for a place in the semi-finals, where he will meet Tsitsipas.

Nadal’s match against Tiafoe was billed as an intriguing clash of generations, but the second seed was ruthless as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The 17-time Grand Slam champion broke Tiafoe’s first service game in each set and with a second break in the third, he wrapped up the victory in an hour and 47 minutes. “It’s very emotional for me to be back in the semi-finals in Melbourne,” Nadal said on court. “I had some troubles in this event all my career. To be back to the semi-finals without playing for a while means everything to me. So, I just want to say thank you very, very much everybody. Great feelings, to be able to play in this court is always so special.”