MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal is now within one victory of a record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
The 35-year-old Spaniard advanced to the Australian Open final for a sixth time with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win Friday over Matteo Berrettini.
He arrived in Australia not knowing how long he'd last after months off the tour recovering from injuries and then a bout of COVID-19.
He won a title at a tune-up tournament and now has won six matches at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
One more and he'll break record of 20 majors he shared with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.