Rafael Nadal triumphs over Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal celebrates after his victory over Roger Federer

Nadal emerged triumphant from the pair's 27th meeting, winning 6-7 6-2 7-6 6-4 in the Australian Open semifinal and setting up a final against either Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray.

With Federer inching past his prime and Nadal battling a string of injuries, their 27th meeting in this year’s Australian Open semifinals looked to fall a bit short of their finest matches, but one that could swing either way. Still, Nadal’s streak of dominance over Federer continued with a four-set victory, in which the older champion looked indecisive and sloppy. That increases the all-time record to 18-9 in Nadal’s favor, a ratio that serves as a peculiar footnote to Federer’s claim as the best tennis player of all-time.

Nadal won in three hours and 42 minutes. The more intriguing statistics were these: Federer, in trying to break down the Spaniard's phenomenal retrieving, hit 63 unforced errors, of which 36 of them were on his fabled forehand.

Rafael Nadal said it was a dream come true for him to be back in the Australian Open after his four-set victory over Roger Federer in the first semi-final.