The twenty-first will have to wait.
An admirable reaction from
Stefanos Tsitsipas
ended
Rafael Nadal's
hopes of
overcoming
Roger Federer's
Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open
.
The Greek won in the quarterfinals by 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (4) and 6-4, in four hours and five minutes, becoming the second tennis player who manages to raise two sets to number two in the world in a Grand Slam tournament, something that only
Fabio Fognini
had achieved
at the 2015 US Open. Tsitsipas, 22, achieved the most important victory of his career, the turning point that can project an already remarkable career, which has the title at the 2019 ATP Finals as the highest record .
In a fantastic generational confrontation, he took advantage of the third match point to beat the Spaniard for the first time in a
major.
Two years ago, he only managed six games against him in the semifinals of this same tournament.
It has matured ever since.
And he left a good example of it
The rise of Tsitsipas, a tennis player accustomed to hitting quality jumps in certain moments of the matches, ended with a Nadal who had reached the quarterfinals unsullied.
Cooler in the final section, with the advantage of not having played his round of 16 game due to
Berrettini's
injury
, the Athens man was unleashed with his service and released all the immense talent that he has inside.
Nadal missed two simple shots in the tiebreaker of the third quarter and was doomed to an unexpected scenario.
Few could imagine what happened after watching the first two sets.
Daniil Medvedev was
already waiting for a rival.
He had achieved
his nineteenth consecutive victory on the circuit
against
Andrey Rublev
.
He was left to know who was going to cross him in what will be his second semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, after losing
the final of the 2019 US Open to
Nadal
.
Building bridges with the "big three"
Having forgotten his back problem, Nadal could not deal with a player who is beginning to get used to being in the final stages of tournaments.
He beat Federer in the quarter-finals of this Australian Open before falling to the Spaniard two years ago and pushed Djokovic to the limit in the final semi-finals at Roland Garros.
Nadal started strong, making his first break ball profitable, in the eighth game, to take the first set.
It was the consequence of a predictable strategy brought to fruition.
Once again, as he usually does with one-handed backhand players, he struck on that blow until Tsitsipas was destabilized, run over in his desire to get out of the trench.
The Greek was slow to react and initially delivered his serve in the second set.
Nadal took a run in the second set.
The single break in the first set had a far-reaching effect on him, creating a huge sense of helplessness.
His best moments came when he seemed to have handed over a large part of his property, without apparent capital to recover it.
It was then when he combined risk and order and, despite only getting one point to the rest before the tiebreaker, he made it his own, helped by two errors by the Spanish.
It no longer stopped.
He enjoyed a breaking ball in the opening game of the quarter, unable to convert it.
Revived, he enjoyed two more in the fifth game, drowned out by an
ace
and a direct serve from his rival.
He grabbed the noose in the ninth game, broke for the first time and confirmed it with his serve to force the fifth set.
No one laid down their arms, but the ease with which Tsitsipas gained his services and his best physical condition prevailed.
He opened the gap with a
break
in the ninth and held out against Nadal's rebellion, who saved the first two match points and had a ball to equal six.
The hand of the great hero of the night did not tremble, capable of certifying a triumph with all the weight to promote his extraordinary future.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
Rafael Nadal
Australian Open
US Open
Novak Djokovic
Australian Open 2021Nadal neutralizes the combative Norrie and enters the round of 16 without giving up a set
Australian Open 2021While others suffer, Nadal improves in Melbourne
Australian Open 2021Rafa Nadal disarms Fabio Fognini and enters as a shot in the quarterfinals
See links of interest
2021 business calendar
Barcelona - PSG, live
RB Leipzig - Liverpool
Stefanos Tsitsipas - Rafa Nadal, live