Melbourne, Jan. 25 (AFP): A marauding Rafa Nadal ended Stefanos Tsitsipas’s trailblazing run at the Australian Open on January 24 thrashing the 20-year-old Greek in a 6-2 6-4 6-0 masterclass to reach a fifth final at Melbourne Park.
Staging a clinic under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, the Spanish second seed tamed the Tsitsipas serve and racked up 28 sparkling winners against the man who had knocked out double defending champion Roger Federer in the fourth round
After roaring to a 5-0 lead in the final set, Nadal closed out the match with a huge serve in one hour and 46 minutes leaving Tsitsipas to beat a hasty exit from the stadium.
The 2009 champion Nadal will face either top seed Novak Djokovic or Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the final as he bids for a second Melbourne title and an 18th Grand Slam crown.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Japanese player Naomi Osaka advanced to the Australian Open final after beating Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Thursday.
Osaka took one hour and 40 minutes to beat seventh seed Pliskova to make it to her second straight grand slam final.
