Nadal nicks 30th Grand Slam S/final ticket

Despite the very best efforts of outsider Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Nadal overcame the Frenchman with consummate ease to secure his passage into his 30th grand slam semi-final.

It took the Spanish icon just one hour and 47 minutes to defeat Tiafoe in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Nadal has yet to drop a set in this year’s Australian Open and has continued his sheer dominance of the hard-court setting.

“I had a little trouble in this event last year, so to be back in the semi-finals means everything to me,” he explained in his post-match interview.

“I want to say thank you very very much to everybody.

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“To be able to play here is always very special.”

Tiafoe leaves the tournament with sizable credit and was given a warm embrace by the iconic John McEnroe as he left the court.

He barely put a foot wrong on Tuesday, however the Spaniard was simply too strong for an opponent who had defied the odds to even reach this advanced stage of the competition.

Stefanos Tsitsipas awaits in the semi-final and, with the Greek buoyed by his victory over Roger Federer earlier in the tournament, Nadal will face a challenging duel.

With that being said, the pair have met twice previously, both in finals in actual fact, and the Spaniard has emerged victorious on both occasions.