Rafael Nadal reached his fifth Australian Open final after a crushing 6-2 6-4 6-0 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Spaniard wasted no time in reaching his fifth Australian Open final after cruising past Stefanos Tsitsipas as the 14th seed only created one break point.
Another dominant display means that Nadal is yet to drop a set at the tournament as he looks to win his second Australian Open title and an 18th grand slam title.
In the final he will face either six time champion Novak Djokovic or Frenchman Lucas Pouille.
Heading into this match Nadal had spent less time on court by four hours and that played a major part today as he looked the more energized player.
Some brutal hitting was too hot to handle for Tsitsipas as an early break was sealed for Nadal at 2-1 as he took nothing for granted.
Although there were good signs from Tsitsipas, he was never really allowed to play his game against a ruthless Nadal who used his forehand to great effect.
A couple of double faults put Tsitsipas in real danger in the seventh game and the world number two pounced on the opportunity as a great backhand reach secured the double break.
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An efficient was wrapped up by Nadal in 32 minutes as the 2009 champion was in no mood to waste any unnecessary time.
The second set was much better from Tsitsipas, who was keen to show the type of tennis that lead to him beating Roger Federer in the fourth round.
Some good all-round play saw the 20 year-old win five points in a row to fend off break points and hold for a 3-2 lead.
However Tsitsipas never saw the warning signs to up his level of play and use the high percentage points as he paid the price in the ninth game. Some more heavy forehands sealed an important break as Nadal roared in delight.
After sealing the second set with a love hold, this match was only heading one way unfortunately for the lively Greek contingent.
Despite creating his first break point in the final game, Tsitsipas just couldn’t control the powerful Nadal as he the second seed failed to lose a single game in the third set to seal victory.
After victory Nadal gave his opinion on who he could face in the final between Novak Djokovic and Lucas Pouille, “Of course, Novak is the favourite. He’s been in that position so many times,” Nadal explained
“Lucas this is the first one. I always thought Lucas is one of those players with amazing potential. It’s true that Novak is unbelievably solid but it’s a tennis match and anything could happen.”
It was a dominant performance from Nadal who only lost 12 service points against the rising Greek as he reaches another Australian Open final.
As for Tsitsipas it has been a remarkable tournament for him despite his disappointing performance today and can take positives from his wins over Roger Federer and Roberto Bautista Agut.
In his four previous Australian Open finals, Nadal has only won once which was back in 2009 against Roger Federer. The Spaniard will look to put that ratio right when he takes on Novak Djokovic or Lucas Pouille on Sunday.
