Rafael Nadal beats Grigor Dimitrov to make Australian Open semis

Rafael Nadal avoided becoming the latest victim of an Australian Open upset with a battling four-set win over Grigor Dimitrov. 

With a severe blister on his racquet hand, the world number one saved three set points in the third set to win 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2.
"I was lucky," said Nadal. "He missed an easy forehand and another one."
He will play four-time champion Roger Federer in Friday's semi-finals after the Swiss ended Andy Murray's hopes.
The Spaniard admitted the blister was affecting his game during the match, which lasted three hours and 37 minutes, "especially with the serve".
He added: "I will try and improve the hand tomorrow and then try to be ready for a tough match against Roger or Andy.
"The blister is much better, but if I am not playing with protection, it can be much worse."
Nadal, trying to win a 14th major title, had looked in trouble after losing the first set against Dimitrov.
Struggling to get anywhere against the Bulgarian 22nd seed's first serve, he finally made the breakthrough in game 11, only to hand it straight back in a shocking game of three double-faults.
The match would hinge on two tie-breaks, with the Spaniard prevailing in both, albeit in very different styles.

Nadal, 27, dominated the first, roaring in to pick up a Dimitrov drop shot and angle a one-handed backhand past the Bulgarian on set point, before celebrating wildly as the match seem to shift in his favour.

It was still far from comfortable for the 2009 champion, however.
A 4-2 lead was squandered in the third set when he double-faulted once again, and a series of uncharacteristic forehand errors - one a wildly framed drive volley - offered Dimitrov three chances to take the set.
The 22-year-old Bulgarian, playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, snatched at the first two chances, going for a huge return at 6-5 and missing a forehand into the corner in the tie-break, before Nadal saved the third with a sharp, angled volley.

A net cord then helped out Nadal as he won three points in a row to clinch the third set, and at two sets to one down after nearly three hours, Dimitrov's resistance ebbed away.

Two breaks in the decider were enough for Nadal to see out the victory, which he sealed when Dimitrov, playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, blazed a forehand wide on the fourth match point.
"I'm a bit shattered," said Dimitrov. "It's tough losing that match. I came out expecting nothing less than to win.
"Of course I shed a few tears, but it should hurt. And it does hurt.
"All the credit to Rafa. I think he played a great match. His physicality came over towards the end of the match. He's not one of the best, I think he's the best player right now."

Novak Djokovic 'satisfied' with coach Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic is satisfied with the early progress being made under new head coach Boris Becker, despite defeat by Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open.

Djokovic, winner of the last three titles at Melbourne Park, was beaten 2-6 6-4 6-2 3-6 9-7 in the quarter-finals.

It was his first defeat since taking on former world number one Becker in December.
"It's been the first official tournament for us. I'm satisfied with things that we've been talking about, working on," said the Serb.
"Of course, it's unfortunate that we finished the tournament in the quarter-finals. But it's the beginning of the season and we'll see what's coming next."
Djokovic had brought back memories of three-time Wimbledon champion Becker when he chose to serve-volley facing match point, only to steer a forehand effort into the tramlines.
"[Wawrinka] had been blocking my serve," said Djokovic. "He'd been chipping the return for the whole match basically.
"And it was actually a good decision. I had a good serve and volley and good volley, but didn't put it away."
The shock result ended Djokovic's 28-match winning streak, a 25-match run at the Australian Open and 14 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances.

It was also the first time since 2006 that Wawrinka had beaten Djokovic, and gained the Swiss some revenge for five-set defeats at last year's Australian and US Opens.

"He's in great form," said Djokovic. "In the last 15 months he's had the best results. He's established now in the top 10, he's been winning against top players in big tournaments, he won against Murray in the US Open last year.
"So he knows how to play on the big stage. You could feel that with his game. He's really taking it to the opponent and stepping in.
"When you're playing like this, the only thing I can say is congratulations."
Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title on Rod Laver Arena in 2008, and began a spectacular winning run in 2011 that saw him beat Andy Murray in the 2011 and 2013 finals, and Rafael Nadal in an incredible six-hour final in 2012.
"I have to be very proud of my accomplishments in my whole career, and especially in this tournament," said the world number two.
"This is definitely by far the most successful Grand Slam that I have."
He added: "It's an amazing court, probably the court where I have had the most excitement in my tennis career.
"I mean, matches with Rafa, with Stan, last year, this year, some epic battles. I love that court. These are kind of matches that you work for, you live for, you practise for.

Australian Open Stanislas Wawrinka vs Novak Djokovic

Stanislas Wawrinka ended the three-year reign of Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic with a stunning quarter-final victory.

The Swiss eighth seed won 2-6 6-4 6-2 3-6 9-7 to set up a semi-final against Tomas Berdych, and gain revenge for an epic five-set defeat by Djokovic in the fourth round last year.
It was the first loss for Djokovic under the guidance of new coach Boris Becker, and brings to an end a winning streak of 28 matches on tour - and 25 matches over three years in Melbourne.
His last defeat in the Australian Open - which he also won in 2008 - was back in 2010 when he was ill and lost in the quarter-finals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
"He's an amazing champion, he never gives up. I'm really, really happy," said 28-year-old Wawrinka.
"I was really focused point after point. I had to stay aggressive, and not give up. I was tired, I was cramping a bit, and I was nervous too. But now I'm going to have an ice bath for a very long time."
Djokovic said: "He deserved this win. I congratulate him absolutely. There is nothing I can say.
"You know, I gave it my best. I gave it all. I tried to come out as the winner. I tried to fight until the last point as I did in a very similar match we did last year in the fourth round, same court, but it wasn't to be this time." 15th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final had looked there for the taking when the Serb rolled through the first set thanks to some loose errors from Wawrinka in game six, but a moment of brilliance turned the match.
Wawrinka won a breathtaking rally with a flowing backhand down the line to break at 3-3 on his way to taking the second set, and the winners kept coming.
Djokovic, 26, threw a few frustrated looks towards Becker in the stands as Wawrinka powered through the third set to take a grip on the match, but finishing the job remained another matter entirely.
There were signs of fragility on Wawrinka's more suspect forehand swing in a tight fourth set, and Djokovic came storming back from 40-0 down to break at 4-3.
After closing it out in a tense game with an ace, the champion let out a huge roar and Becker got to his feet to urge his man on.
Keeping it away from the Wawrinka backhand whenever possible, Djokovic made what seemed to be the decisive move with a break in game three of the decider, only to hand it straight back with four forehand errors in a woeful service game.

A packed crowd on Rod Laver Arena was now reaching fever pitch as the match clock ticked past three hours, and as serve began to dominate it headed towards a fourth. A re-run of last year's 22-game final set did not seem out of the question.

That match had lasted five hours and finished at 01:41 local time, but Wawrinka was determined to avoid a repeat and his pressure finally told.
Serving to stay in the match for the fourth time, Djokovic found himself match point down when a mishit Wawrinka return dropped in and, in the style of his coach, the Serb gambled on following his serve into the net at the crucial moment - only to steer a forehand volley into the tramlines.
After exactly four hours, Wawrinka had reached his second major semi-final and ended an eight-year, 14-match losing streak against Djokovic.
"It's a really great feeling," said the Swiss. "There were some special moments which went well together in this match, making it for the first time here to the semis, winning my first match on Rod Laver after all these years. It's been a very special match to me."
In Wednesday's quarter-finals, world number one Rafael Nadal takes on Grigor Dimitrov and Britain's Andy Murray plays Roger Federer.

Australian Open 2014 Maria Sharapova out of Australian Open

Maria Sharapova followed top seed Serena Williams out of the Australian Open with a shock defeat by Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round. The Russian, who won the title in 2008, lost 3-6 6-4 6-1 in an erratic display on Rod Laver Arena. Five-time champion Williams was beaten by Ana Ivanovic 24 hours earlier, leaving two-time winner Victoria Azarenka - the second seed - as the player with the most major titles in the draw.

Third seed Sharapova left the court for a medical timeout before the final set, and finished with a total of 45 unforced errors as Cibulkova closed it out in two hours and 12 minutes. "I have a bit of a strain, the trainer told me, in the hip area," said Sharapova, who was playing only her second tournament since missing the second half of 2013 with hip and shoulder injuries. "Those aches and pains are expected when you spend a long time on the court. You just have to play through it." Cibulkova, 24, moves on to face Simona Halep in her first Australian Open quarter-final, the third time she has reached the last eight of a Grand Slam. "It feels great, especially because I played well and it was a tough match," said Cibulkova, the 20th seed. "I went on the court and I was more than 100% sure that I really could beat her, and beat her on the big court, in an important match in a Grand Slam.
"I did it before. She knows me and I knew she knew it was going to be a tough match. I was prepared for it." Cibulkova added she had been "a little bit angry" as she felt the Russian's struggles with her ball toss in the closing stages were "on purpose". Sharapova had played an epic second-round match on Thursday against Karin Knapp that lasted three-and-a-half hours in temperatures of around 40C. The 26-year-old's serve had been wildly unreliable in that match but was functioning well enough in the early stages against Cibulkova as she edged the first set. It did not last, however, as the first-serve percentage dipped in the second and the 5ft 3in Cibulkova leapt gleefully on every opportunity. The Slovakian's nerve faltered from 5-0 up but she served it out at the third attempt and, after Sharapova returned from getting treatment off-court, dominated the final set. Seven Sharapova double faults contributed to her demise in the decider and Cibulkova showed no nerves as she matched her French Open victory over the Russian of five years ago. "It's tough," added Sharapova. "I will be genuine about it. It's never easy. We are very big competitors. I think that's why I have been so successful, because of my competitiveness in the past. "It's moments like this that ultimately shape you and make you who you are. That's how you bounce back. "It's easy just to be successful, but it's how many times you're able to come back from the tough moments and losses and injuries that really define who you are as an athlete. "That's why I'm here, because I believe I still can be up there and certainly can play better, that's for sure."

Andy Murray set for Australian Open reunion with Roger Federer

Andy Murray is ready to face a rejuvenated Roger Federer at his attacking best in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday. The Wimbledon champion takes on 17-time Grand Slam winner Federer in the night session on Rod Laver Arena at 08:30 GMT. It is a repeat of last year's semi-final, when Murray won in five sets to claim his first Grand Slam victory over the Swiss. "I've played him around 20 times," said the Scot, who leads their head-to-head 11-9. "You know how you need to play against him, and you know tactically the things that work and the things that don't work." What Murray can certainly expect is an opponent keen to get to the net at every opportunity, something Federer, 32, has done 112 times in four matches, compared to 54 from Murray. Federer, seeded sixth, is in the early stages of working with six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg, one of the game's great volleyers. "It's just a different perspective," said the Swiss, who swept past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the previous round. "He did things his way back in the day - I'm sure things were different back then - but still you can take so many things from his experience. "I want to maybe try out a few things that worked for him, try out a few things that he thinks would work out for me this time around. "Sure, we'll discuss it, assess it, but he's here now more for support, making me feel comfortable, giving me right advice, pre-match, post-match, discussing it with Severin [Luthi] my coach." Perhaps of equal significance are the four-time Australian Open champion's now healthy back, which hampered him in a disappointing 2013, and a new racquet with a 98-square-inch head - as opposed to the 90-inch frame he used beforehand. "I do believe I have easier power with the racquet on the serve," said Federer. "It might help me on the return, as well. I hope it is the case. It's a great start to the season with the racquet and with my body. Everything is going really well. I'm very happy." Murray, playing his second tournament since recovering from back surgery, takes confidence from his last meeting with Federer at the same venue 12 months ago. "Obviously last year is pretty relevant because it's on the same court and it will be under the same conditions," he said. "But in an individual sport, any day is a new day. Anything can happen. "You play 10% below your best and you can be off the court quickly. So whether my tactics are great or not, I need to play a great match to win." Murray, 26, seemingly set the current trend for players to work with great names of the past when he hired Ivan Lendl two years ago, and the early influence of Edberg on Federer has not passed him by.

Australian Open 2014 Berdych (Cze) [7] beat Ferrer (Spa) [3] 6-1 6-4 2-6 6-4

Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych reached his first Australian Open semi-final with victory in just over three hours.
The 2010 Wimbledon finalist ended a streak of three consecutive quarter-final defeats at Melbourne Park, breaking Ferrer in the fifth game of the fourth set and then fending off a break-point chance and holding the crucial subsequent game to hang on for the win.
"It's a really great feeling," Berdych said after his first ever win on Rod Laver Arena.
"There were some special moments which went well together in this match - making it for the first time here in the Aussie Open to the semis, winning my first match on Rod Laver after all those years. That's been a very special match to me. I'm extremely happy to go through."

Li (Chn) [4] beat Pennetta (Ita) [28] 6-2 6-2

Two-time finalist Li Na raced into a fourth Melbourne semi-final as she produced a ruthless display against Pennetta.
The fourth seed from China broke the Italian in the first game of the match, following it up with two more to lead the first set 5-0.
Pennetta, the 28th seed, stopped the rot with a break of her own but Li still took the opener 6-2.
And the second set was equally one-sided as Li eased to a 6-2 6-2 victory.
Li said her belief that she can repeat her final appearances of 2011 and 2013 has been growing ever since she recovered from being on the brink of defeat in the third round against Lucie Safarova.
"I've got a lot of confidence because I was match point down and I came back to win that match," said the 31-year-old. "I believe in myself even more. I hope I can take one more step this year."