Nadal loses; Sharapova to play all-Russian semi in Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Two rounds after Roger Federer's unexpected exit from the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal has joined him on the sidelines.
Nadal's lack of match fitness from nearly six months of injuries and illness finally caught up with the 14-time major champion in his quarterfinal match against seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych on Tuesday. He was never much of a factor and lost in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5).
The third-seeded Nadal said before the tournament that his inactivity over the last half of 2014 made him unlikely to win more than a few rounds. Coming into the Australian Open, Nadal had played only eight matches since last June because of a right wrist injury and appendix surgery in November.
Federer, who has 17 major titles, including four in Australia, departed Melbourne Park after an upset third-round loss to Andrea Seppi.
Nadal said he was surprised to have advanced as far as he did in Melbourne.
"It is obvious that I needed something more to be more competitive," Nadal said. "As I said when I arrived here, the process always is not easy. When you have injuries, comebacks are difficult. But without being at my top level of tennis, I was able to be here in quarterfinals. Is not a bad result at all for me."
Nadal saved two match points in the 12th game of the final set, sending it to a tiebreaker. But Berdych raced out to a 5-2 lead in the decider and finally ended the match on his fourth match point when Nadal netted a return of serve.
"I was ready for everything and I think that was the difference," Berdych said. "I started pretty well, but when you're playing Rafa you have to keep going to the last point."
Berdych, who had lost 17 straight matches to Nadal before Tuesday, will play the winner of the night quarterfinal between Andy Murray and local hope Nick Kyrgios. The other men's semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when top-seeded Novak Djokovic plays Milos Raonic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka takes on U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori in quarterfinals in the other half of the draw.
Earlier Tuesday on Rod Laver Arena, Maria Sharapova moved closer to another Australian title, defeating 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Sharapova made all the big points look easy against Bouchard and advanced to a semifinal against Ekaterina Makarova, who earlier beat third-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 6-0.
"I felt pretty good from the start, didn't feel I had too many letdowns," Sharapova said, adding that her close call in the second round - facing two match points against a qualifier - sharpened her focus for the rest of the tournament.
"When you are down and out in the second match, I don't want to face that call with my father too many times during a tournament," she said.
The last time Sharapova and Bouchard met - in the semifinals at the French Open last year - Bouchard won the first set before Sharapova came back to take the next two. The Russian then won the title at Roland Garros.
This time, Bouchard, who made the finals of Wimbledon and two other Grand Slam semis last year, didn't come close to taking a set, looking flat from the outset while being broken in her opening service game. The Genie Army, a group of young Australian men who croon about the Canadian player, was left to sing another day.
"She didn't give me many chances, and against the great players you have to take any chances you can get," Bouchard said. "If you don't have time, you have to go for riskier shots, and I made a few too many unforced errors because I was under pressure."
Sharapova, the 2008 Australian Open champion and a two-time finalist, has a 5-0 record against Makarova, including wins in the quarterfinals here in 2012 and 2013. In four of those losses, Makarova has failed to win a set.
The other women's semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked Williams plays last year's finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, and Venus Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nearly five years, takes on 19-year-old American Madison Keys.
If the Williams sisters play each other in the semifinals, it would be their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament since the Wimbledon final in 2009 - won by Serena.