Rafa Headed to Australian Open Finals After Win Over Federer
Spain’s Rafael Nadal has defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland to advance to the finals of the 2012 Australian Open. Nadal, ranked number two in the world, took the match in four close sets, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4, to up his record to 8-2 against the number three-ranked Federer in Grand Slam head-to-head matchups.
Nadal will now play the winner of the semifinal match between top-ranked Serbian Novak Djokovic and Great Britain’s Andy Murray. Murray, a two-time Australian Open finalist, is yet to win a Grand Slam in his career. Nadal won the Aussie title in 2009, and lost in the quarterfinals in his last two attempts.
Nadal broke at 4-4 in the fourth set, which was key to his victory against Federer, and then took the final set 6-4 for the win. In his second match point, Nadal gave Federer a forehand which he hit long, and as a result, gave the match away.
"I thought Rafa played well from start to finish," said Federer in his post-match press conference. "It was a tough match physically as well. I’m disappointed, but it’s only the beginning of the season. I’m felling all right, so it’s okay."
During the second set, play was suspended for an Australian Day fireworks display, which seemed to throw Federer out of rhythm and led to him losing the second set on serve 6-2.
“It’s tough, it’s not helpful, that’s for sure,” Federer said of the break for the fireworks. “They told us before, so it was no surprise. But I knew it was a lot of points in a row that I lost.”
The crowd of 15,000 had a split favorite between the two top players.
"Please win the point, that’s all," said Nadal. “I don’t play my best tennis because it’s Roger in front, I play my best tennis because I am ready to play my best tennis. It’s true, I played a lot of good matches against him during my career … but I believe that he played a few fantastic matches against me too."
