Rafael Nadal eyes 21st Major in Australian open final vs Medvedev

Melbourne, January 28

Rafael Nadal is within one victory of a men's record 21st Grand Slam singles title. The 35-year-old Spaniard advanced to the Australian Open final for the sixth time with a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 win over seventh-seeded Matteo Berrettini today.

He'll have to beat US Open champion Daniil Medvedev on Sunday to make history. And Medvedev is chasing a piece of history of his own after reeling off the last five games to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (5) 4-6 6-4 6-1 in a heated semifinal. He's aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title at the very next Major tournament.

The second-seeded Medvedev has had an emotional and challenging run to back-to-back Australian Open finals. He had to deal with a hostile crowd in his second-round win over Nick Kyrgios, had to save a match point and rally from two sets down to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a nearly five-hour quarterfinal win, and had to regain his composure after an angry outburst at the umpire today. He yelled at the chair umpire after dropping serve in the second set, demanding that Tsitsipas be cautioned for receiving coaching from his father in the crowd. He took a five-minute break after dropping the set, took control late in the third set and then dominated the last five games after Tsitsipas was eventually cautioned for getting coaching from the stands.

“To be able to be where I am today, I don't know, I really can't explain in words how important is for me in terms of energy, in terms of personal satisfaction,” Nadal said. "For me it's something completely unexpected, so I am super happy.”

He said he was taking a different approach to his preparations, but couldn't really change his approach on court. “I am taking now the things a little bit in a different way. Of course always with competitive spirit that I have, because I can't go against that. It's my personal DNA,” he said. — Agencies

Weight of the world

Melbourne: Ash Barty will carry the weight of a nation on her shoulders when she faces big-hitting American Danielle Collins in tomorrow’s Australian Open final, as she seeks to end her country's 44-year wait for a home champion. The world No. 1 has lost just 21 games to reach her maiden final at Melbourne Park and is primed to become the first local since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open. Barty, who won the 2019 French Open and is the reigning Wimbledon champion, is also unbeaten in 10 matches this season and warmed up for the first Grand Slam of the year with a WTA 500 title in a tune-up tournament in Adelaide. Standing in the Australian's way is Collins, a first-time Grand Slam finalist. "She's an exceptional ball striker," Barty said. “She loves to get in your face and loves to really take it on.” Twice an NCAA champion, Collins is the third straight US finalist after Jennifer Brady last year and Sofia Kenin in 2020. Reuters

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