Nadal beats Federer to reach Australian Open finalJanuary 24, 2014 - 16:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Rafael Nadal powered past Roger Federer to reach the Australian Open final and maintain his dominance over the 17-time Grand Slam champion, according to BBC Sport. The world number one came through 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-3 and goes on to face Federer's compatriot, Stanislas Wawrinka, for the title on Sunday, Jan 26. The Spaniard, 27, will be a strong favorite to claim his 14th Slam, and become only the third man to win all four majors at least twice. Nadal was in brilliant form in his 33rd meeting with Federer, overcoming a blister on his racquet hand and, if anything, growing stronger as the match progressed. Federer, 32, had captured the headlines throughout the tournament with his eye-catching form, built around some excellent serving, but he was constantly under pressure against Nadal. The Spaniard missed two backhands on break points in game seven as both men struggled off that wing, and another went begging in game nine, but he dominated the tie-break. Federer made a costly error with a volley into the net and, despite cutting a 5-1 deficit to 5-4, could not prevent Nadal closing it out, the BBC says. Nadal ripped through the opening game of the second set with some huge forehands, followed by an unexpected double-handed backhand drop shot, but then took a medical timeout for attention to his palm. It did not prove to be a helping hand for Federer, in fact quite the opposite as Nadal came storming back. Only some big serving saw Federer save three more break points at 2-2, but he was finally undone two games later when a breathtaking angled backhand and a heavy forehand into the corner put Nadal 4-2 in front, and on his way to a two-set lead. For all the positive influence of new coach Stefan Edberg over the past fortnight, when Federer dumped a backhand volley into the net to drop serve early in the third, the outcome of the match had a very familiar feel. There was a flash of hope for the thousands of Federer fans on Rod Laver Arena when their man finally broke to hit straight back, and some serve-volleying helped him to a 3-2 lead, but Nadal was soon on the hunt again. The relentless pressure told as Federer's forehand flew long to give up his serve at 3-3, and Nadal swept to victory with his fourth break of the day thanks to a succession of brilliant forehands. It gave him a 23rd win over Federer, who still has not beaten Nadal at a Grand Slam since the 2007 Wimbledon final, and never away from the All England Club. Related links: Related issues: Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Kazakh Foreign Minister arrives in Armenia Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu on Monday, March 18 arrived in Armenia for a two-day trip. Aliyev touts “good chances” for normalizing ties with Armenia Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared that there are “good chances” for normalizing relations with Armenia. Putin secures fifth term as Russian president Russian President Vladimir Putin has secured a fifth term in office through a dubious national plebiscite. Top Armenian, Indian defense officials discuss cooperation The discussions primarily focused on enhancing cooperation in the defence sector between Armenia and India. |