Rafael Nadal produces devastating straight-sets win over Francis Tiafoe to reach Australian Open semi-finals
- Rafael Nadal booked his spot in the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday
- He beat 21-year-old rising star Francis Tiafoe in a dominant 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 display
- Nadal faces Roger Federer’s conqueror Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the final
Rafael Nadal coasted into the Australian Open semi-finals as he produced a dominant 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over rising American star Francis Tiafoe.
Having seen Roger Federer eliminated at the hands of 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas in round four, the world No 2 would have been wary of suffering a similar upset against a confident Tiafoe.
But Nadal, searching for his first Australian Open title since 2009, was ruthless, dictating the points with his zipping forehand to reach the last four of a slam for the 30th time, setting up a semi-final against Federer’s conqueror Tsitsipas.
More to follow.
Rafael Nadal made light work of his quarter-final match with American ace Francis Tiafoe
The world No 2 produced a dominant 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory inside a packed Rod Laver Arena
Tiafoe was confident of an upset but he was outclassed by a savvy and experienced Nadal
The 21-year-old American hustled and chased down Nadal’s returns but was well beaten