Rafael Nadal beaten by Tomas Berdych at Australian Open Tomas Berdych ended a 17-match losing streak against Rafael Nadal as he outplayed the Spaniard to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. The Czech, seeded seventh, won 6-2 6-0 7-6 (7-5) and will face Andy Murray or Nick Kyrgios in the last four. Berdych, 29, began working with Murrays former coach Dani Vallverdu at the end of 2014. An 18th successive defeat by third seed Nadal would have set a new record for mens tennis. It feels great, said Berdych. The really good thing is the plan that we put together was the right one. Everything was working. I was able to execute it really well. But still, until the last point you cant think about anything else. When its done, its done. Its great. I might be think about it and enjoy the time until tomorrow morning. When I wake up, I need to get myself ready for another one. There is a still long way to go in this tournament and I need to be ready for it. Nine years after his last victory against the 14-time Grand Slam champion, Berdych took full advantage of an opponent struggling desperately to find his game. Nadal, 28, was playing only his 12th match since Wimbledon last summer, and his first against a top-10 opponent since he beat Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in June. He insisted there had been no physical issues, saying it was just not my day, but added: You cannot expect to win matches in quarter-finals of a Grand Slam helping the opponent to play well. Thats what I did the first two sets. From the beginning of the third, I played with more character. More the way that I have to play to be where I want to be, where I have been for the last lot of years. A wrist injury and appendicitis decimated the second half of 2014 for the Spaniard and the lack of big matches told in dramatic style on Tuesday. He won just two games in the first hour of play, failing to register a single point behind his second serve and underpowered on his usually fearsome forehand. Berdych was attacking Nadals serve at will and dominant on his own, apparently cruising to victory, but there was a spark of life from the 2009 champion. Finally fired up, Nadal found some big serves to fend off three breaks points and then two match points in the third set as Berdych moved to within touching distance of a landmark win. Credits:bbc
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:07:37 +0000
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