MELBOURNE: Ruthless Rafael Nadal brutally swatted aside a bright young star in the Australian Open quarter-finals Tuesday, before setting his sights on the leading new kid on the block, Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Spanish second seed continued his relentless progress by slaying giantkiller Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in just 107 minutes of power-packed, precision tennis.
And Nadal, 32, warned the 20-year-old Tsitsipas, who knocked out Roger Federer in the fourth round, to be ready as the Spaniard would be at his best in Thursday evening’s semi-final.
“For me is always the same: you are in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, you can’t expect an easy opponent,” he told reporters.
“Stefanos is one of the best players of the world. To have the chance to be in that final, I need to play my best, and that’s what I am looking for.”
Unseeded Tiafoe, 21, had shocked fifth seed Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov, seeded 20, but the 17-time Grand Slam champion proved too formidable for the popular American in his first major quarter-final.
The Spaniard has been in irresistible form in Australia in his first tournament since limping out of the US Open and having foot surgery.
“I feel lucky to be where I am after what I went through to be able to compete at this level,” he said. “That’s why I get up in the morning and go to the gym and work hard.”
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