Excitement at Nadal victory: "You are all corrupt"

In the end, the contrast could hardly have been greater.

Standing on one side of the pitch, Rafael Nadal looked wearily at the people in his box and was just happy to get away again - after a game in five sets and just over four hours (6: 4, 6: 4, 4:6, 3:6, 6:3), in which he had meanwhile had the feeling that he was at the end of his strength.

On the other side was Denis Shapovalov, slamming the bat down, angry at himself, at the referee and probably at how his chance had slipped from his hands.

That was a small miracle, Nadal said afterwards, he was completely exhausted.

By the end of the second set he had been getting worse and worse in the heat of the afternoon, having been on pills and off-court treatment, but by the time the crucial fifth set started he seemed to be feeling a little better.

He'd been able to rely on serve up to that point, so he was hoping that serve would carry him through the fifth set and maybe he'd pick up points with a return or two.

It worked as hoped;

he held one serve from Shapovalov early on and, with a little help from the Canadian, held that lead to the end.

Shapovalov had already complained massively to referee Carlos Bernades during the game that he was too generous in interpreting the time limits in favor of Nadal in various situations. "You're all corrupt," he accused the Brazilian, which he later took back, but he stuck to the general accusation after the game. It was unfair what the Spaniard was allowed to do, he said. He reacted to the allegations in a paternally mild manner and said Shapovalov was young and one day he might understand that he was wrong in his complaints.

He himself will play in the semi-finals in Melbourne for the first time in three years, and he is lucky that both semi-finals are now taking place on Fridays, so he will have two days to recover before then. Opponent will be the Italian Matteo Berrettini, who allowed himself five sets when defeating Gael Monfils (6: 4, 6: 4, 3: 6, 3: 6, 6: 2), but was never nearly as finished in any phase looked like Nadal a few hours earlier.

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 quarterfinals: 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.

World number one Ashleigh Barty reached the semifinals for the second time since 2020.

The great Australian hope celebrated an unchallenged quarter-final success and outclassed the American Jessica Pegula, who was in 21st place, 6:2, 6:0.

After just 63 minutes, the two-time Grand Slam tournament winner won the game.

In the semifinals on Thursday, Barty meets Pegula's compatriot Madison Keys.

Barty wants to become the first Australian tennis player since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open.

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.

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