Stefanos Tsitsipas denies Rafael Nadal 21st Grand Slam, enters Australian Open semi-finals

Rafael Nadal will have to wait for his 21st Grand Slam title after Stefanos Tsitsipas put paid to his attempt at the Australian Open 2021. The Greek youngster booked his second semi-final appearance in Melbourne, having made it to the last four in 2019. The 22-year-old was outplayed for much of the first hour of his clash against the 20-time Grand Slam champion before a change of gears helped him script an epic comeback. 

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Nadal vs Tsitsipas: Greek youngster shocks 'King of Clay' in epic comeback win at Australian Open 2021 

Stefanos Tsitsipas had learned his lessons from the 2019 Australian Open semi-final defeat against Rafael Nadal, and when he faced off against the Spanish ace on Wednesday, he was well prepared. Nadal was at his fiery best, claiming the opening two sets at the Rod Laver Arena with relative ease. The 34-year-old drove his backhand crosscourt and commanded rallies with his forehand to consistently push Tsitsipas behind the baseline and into uncomfortable positions. However, the Greek prodigy had enough and took centre stage in the third set, playing aggressively to force a fourth set. 

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The third set for Tstsipas meant that Nadal's 35-set winning streak at Grand Slam events was broken. As the game wore on, the 20-time Grand Slam champion committed a host of errors, offering his Greek counterpart a way back into the game. The 22-year-old took the opportunity with both hands, kept applying pressure as he increased his forehand aggression and defended with the skill to earn his first service break. Nadal's erroneous streak continued and Tsitsipas forced a fifth set. 

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The decider saw Tsitsipas serve comfortably and rushed Nadal into four groundstroke errors at 5-5 to serve for the match. However, the Spaniard rallied back to push his opponent, before the 22-year-old held his nerve to clinch the match with a backhand winner down the line with his third match point. This was Nadal's second consecutive quarterfinals exit at the Australian Open and his third in his last four appearances at the Grand Slam. 

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Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet in-form Russian Daniil Medvedev for a place in the championship match. Medvedev extended his winning streak to 19 matches on Wednesday when he defeated ATP Cup teammate Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. Medvedev has a 5-1 ATP Head-to-Head advantage against Tsitsipas, but it was the Greek who won the pair’s most recent encounter en route to the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals crown.

(Image Courtesy: Australian Open Twitter)