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| Rafael Nadal, who won his only Australian Open title in 2009, is into his sixth Melbourne final. (Photo by= Getty Images) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Rafael Nadal moved one win away from a record 21st Grand Slam men's title after a dominant start enabled him to beat Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the Australian Open semi-finals. BBC said that seventh seed Berrettini eventually turned the match into a contest, but Nadal completed a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 win.
The 35-year-old Spaniard is level on 20 major titles with long-time rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Nadal plays Daniil Medvedev, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, in Sunday's final.
"The first two sets were some of the best I've played for a long time," said Nadal, who won his only Melbourne title in 2009."Against a difficult opponent, a great opponent, one of the best of the world, I was able to play I think at a very high level for a long time.
Nadal's achievement in reaching a 29th Grand Slam final comes only a few months after he thought a foot injury could end his illustrious career. Meanwhile, Russian second seed Medvedev edged a high-quality battle with Greek fourth seed Tsitsipas, winning 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 6-1 in Friday's second men's semi-final. Medvedev, 25, is aiming for his second successive Grand Slam title after winning the maiden major of his career at the US Open in September.
