Australian Open 2017: Nadal edges past Dimitrov to set up Federer final

Could the two old rivals, nearly six years on from their last meeting in a Grand Slam final, possibly meet for one more match for the ages in Melbourne?

The Swiss master broke twice in the first set to race to a 5-0 lead.

While Nadal dominated on clay, Federer was equally all-conquering on grass.

Federer has romped his way into the final with wins over three top-10 players – Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Stanislas Wawrinka.

Nadal is the favorite to win based on his knack for solving Federer, but the latter arguably looks sharper at the moment.

But Dimitrov roared back at the start of the second set with his forehand suddenly causing his Spanish opponent some serious problems.

For Federer, it’s a chance to extend his all-time record tally of Grand Slam wins to 18, and exact a measure of revenge on his long-time nemesis. Nadal emerged victorious in the deciding set 6-2 to prevent Federer from equalling Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

No. 79-ranked Lucic-Baroni, aiming to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since Wimbledon in 1999, took the first set with a service break in the last game.

The ninth-seeded Nadal needed a gritty win over the No. 15 seed Dimitrov to reach the final, winning 6-3, 5-7, 7 (7)-6 (5), 6 (4)-7 (7), 6-4.

Asked to expand on his on-court comments about his history with Nadal, who holds a dominant 23-11 career advantage over the Swiss superstar, Federer said: “Yeah, not really”. Nadal now serving for a shot at Federer. Dimitrov eventually clinched the set with a break in the 12th game to level the tally at 1-1.

But on Sunday, we will see the two legends face-off once more in what is possibly one of the biggest clashes between the two, ever, period.

Federer had taken the trouble to visit Nadal’s spanking new tennis academy in Manacor in Majorca, Spain, and Nadal was touched by the gesture. Federer goes on to win 93 percent of the time he wins the first set, while winning just 40 percent when losing it.

In an enthralling contest, Federer won the opening two sets before Wawrinka clawed back to take the semi-final into a fifth, only for Federer to prevail with a service break in the sixth game.

I’m not tipping with any confidence, but Federer in five sets.

Federer was positive, too, about the leg injury for which he sought off-court treatment at the end of the fourth set.

This scintillating victory over Wawrinka, the world number four and US Open champion, provided compelling evidence that he is finally ready to add another major triumph to the one he last secured at Wimbledon in 2012.

The Spaniard looked every inch a 14-times grand slam champion as he slugged it out with his 25-year-old opponent over almost five hours on Rod Laver Arena to reach his first major final since the 2014 French Open and 21st overall.

In several key matches, Nadal’s ability to stave off break points was the most important stat: in the 2007 French Open final, Federer converted one out of 17; in the epic 2008 Wimbledon battle, it was one out of 13; at the Australian Open the following year he managed six of 19, and in the 2011 French Open final he had five out of 15.