Australian Open 2020: Dominic Thiem ousts Rafael Nadal to set up a semifinal clash with Alexander Zverev; Garbine Muguruza to face Simona Halep in last four
Top seed Rafael Nadal, who has not had the best of times at Melbourne Park over the years crashed out in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2020 while unseeded Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza ensured that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will need to wait a while longer to make it to a Grand Slam semifinal.
Nadal, who won the Australian Open in 2009 and lost to Novak Djokovic in last year's finals, went down to Austria's Dominic Thiem in an epic four-setter at the Rod Laver Arena.
Soaked with perspiration, Nadal was not at his majestic best but kept fighting till the very end as he struggled with the heat against an unrelenting opponent who appeared a lot more composed on the day.
The Austrian won 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, managing to come through the pulsating tie-breakers with aplomb and will now meet seventh-seed Alexander Zverev, who got the better of three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka.
The 34-year-old Wawrinka took the first set with ease, but the German grew into the match as the contest progressed using his powerful serve as a potent weapon to advance with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Thiem, seeded fifth, will take on 22-year-old Zverev in the second semifinal of the men's event on Friday.
Garbine Muguruza to face off against Simona Halep
In the women's section, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who had accounted for Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber failed to get past former World No. 1 Garbine Muguruza. Muguruza, who is unseeded at the Australian Open got the better of her talented Russian opponent who has lost way in the quarterfinal stages of several events in the past as well.
Despite having her chances, the 30th seed surrendered the advantage to Muguruza who prevailed with a 7-6, 6-3 win and will now square up against Simona Halep in the semifinals on Thursday.
Halep brushed aside Annet Kontaveit in less than an hour to register an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 victory and will begin as the favourite owing to her clinical campaign at the ongoing Australian Open 2020.
In the women's doubles semifinals, top-seeds Su-Wei Hseih and Barbora Strycova overcame the all-Czech pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 and will face the second-seeded duo of Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in the final.
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