No. 9-seed Rafael Nadal defeated No. 15-seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 on Friday in Melbourne to advance to the Australian Open final, his first since the 2014 French Open.
The match was intense from the start—there were no semifinal jitters from either opponent—and it remained a tight battle throughout the entire four hour and 56 minutes.
After beating No. 3-seed Milos Raonic in straight sets in the quarterfinals, Nadal came out strong in the opening set, taking control of the points from the first ball. After a few exchanges of comfortable holds, Nadal broke Dimitrov’s serve in the fourth game and closed out the opening set 6-3 in 35 minutes.