Also plagued by stomach problems, Rafael Nadal did not let the conqueror of Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev stop him and came a step closer to the Grand Slam record.

In a five-set tennis match, the Spaniard fought Denis Shapovalov to victory and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the seventh time.

With 6: 3, 6: 4, 4: 6, 3: 6, 6: 3, Nadal decided the generational duel in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The tension that this match should get was not foreseeable for a long time.

After a 2-0 lead, the 35-year-old Nadal had physical problems and in the end it was also thanks to the mistakes of Canadian Shapovalov (22) that he progressed.

"I think I was lucky that I served well in the fifth," Nadal said in the winner's interview on the pitch.

He started to feel a bit tired, he explained and reported his stomach problems: "I hope and I really believe that I will be ready for the semifinals."

13 years after his only Melbourne triumph so far, Nadal is only two wins away from the next trophy.

In the semifinals on Friday, the fifth in the world rankings will face Italian Wimbledon finalists Matteo Berrettini or Gael Monfils.

Should he actually triumph on Sunday, he would secure the sole record with his 21st title at a Grand Slam tournament.

The fact that Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic and his Swiss rival Roger Federer are not present for very different reasons has opened the door wide for him.

Madison Keys in the semifinals

The question of his physical condition was a topic of discussion before the start of the tournament.

Nevertheless, Nadal had largely marched safely through the early rounds.

The Spaniard had been sidelined for months with a foot injury at the end of last season.

This time the problems had nothing to do with it.

Against the Wimbledon semi-finalist, Nadal did much better than Zverev for a long time. Due to Nadal's presence and consistency, this two-set duel with 22-year-old Shapovalov looked like one of those days when there is little for the challenger to do. The Canadian world number fourteenth complained that the Spaniard was taking too much time between rallies. "You're all corrupt," he scolded the referee at the beginning of the second set when, in his opinion, Nadal wasn't ready for the return in time.

Nadal was not irritated and won the second set.

But suddenly the tournament favorite lost his sovereignty.

When he was 4-1 down in the fourth set, he called the physio and pointed to his stomach.

The 2009 Melbourne winner's chances to bounce back at 3-5 and break points were fended off by Shapovalov.

In the fifth and all-important round, Nadal also benefited from his opponent's unforced errors.

Madison Keys also makes sporting headlines. For the first time since 2015, the American is in the semifinals of the Australian Open. In the quarterfinals, the 2017 US Open finalist clearly won 6: 3, 6: 2 against the Czech French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova. "I think I'll cry. It means so much to me," admitted the world number 51. touched at the winner's interview. Seven years ago, Keys made it into the semifinals of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season for the only time, but then lost to American tennis star Serena Williams. Her best Grand Slam result so far came in 2017 when she reached the final of the US Open against her compatriot Sloane Stephens.

Krejcikova stormed to the title at the French Open 2021 out of nowhere and triumphed in singles and doubles in Paris. In the first lap in Melbourne, the 26-year-old dispatched Andrea Petkovic from Darmstadt. But she couldn't put up enough resistance in the quarter-finals: Krejcikova, fourth in the world rankings, looked battered at temperatures of around 30 degrees. When the score was 2-5 in the first set, she had herself examined and her blood pressure measured. The world rankings-51. Keys underlined her serve strength with eleven aces and convinced with her powerful game.

All German participants in the singles have already been eliminated.

The women's trio with Petkovic, Angelique Kerber and Tatjana Maria was over in the first round.

The greatest German hopeful Alexander Zverev missed the decisive rounds with a defeat in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Tim Pütz and his partner Michael Venus could not stop the Australians Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios and missed the semi-finals in the doubles competition.

In a heated atmosphere, the duo from Frankfurt and New Zealand had to admit defeat to the crowd's favorites 5:7, 6:3, 3:6.

After a game with heckling between the serves and applause for double faults, Pütz and Venus lost after 2:16 hours.

With the end of the Davis Cup player, there are no longer any German players in the doubles competition.

Pütz and Venus were sixth in the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

Wild card holders Kokkinakis and Kyrgios are on a surprising winning streak, having defeated first-round Croatian Wimbledon and Olympic champions Nikola Mektic and Pavic.