Rafa Nadal beats Matteo Berrettini to enter Australian Open 2022 final, keeps record 21st Slam bid alive

No. 6 seed Rafa Nadal defeated No. 7 seed and Wimbledon 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini of Italy 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open 2022 semifinal in Melbourne on Friday (January 28). Nadal entered his sixth Australian Open final and will be gunning for record 21st Grand Slam title as he awaits the winner of No. 2 seed Daniel Medvedev and No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

It's a sixth #AusOpen final for @RafaelNadal

He outlasts Matteo Berrettini in a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 thriller #AusOpen * #AO2022
: @wwos * @espn * @eurosport * @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/UIbtfGbKvq — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2022

The win in the Australian Open semis was also Nadal’s 500th career win on hard court surfaces. Nadal is currently on level with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on 20 Grand Slam titles. A win on Sunday (January 30) will be Nadal’s second at the Australian Open – making him the first man to win each Grand Slam at least twice.

With rain bucketing down outside, the 35-year-old Nadal made a fast start under the closed roof of the Rod Laver Arena and took control by breaking Wimbledon finalist Berrettini’s serve early in each of the first two sets.

Berrettini finally came alive in the third and started forcing Nadal back with his forehands, a break of serve forcing a fourth set. The Spaniard got the crucial break in the eighth game as the Italian`s unforced errors increased and another mistake allowed Nadal to convert his first matchpoint after a battle that lasted two hours and 55 minutes.

Berrettini turned it around midway through the third set. After not having a break point until then, Berrettini had three in the eighth game of the third set and converted his second, taking a 5-3 lead. He then held serve in the next game on four consecutive points to send the match to a fourth set.

Nadal took control again when he broke Berrettini’s serve in the eighth game of the fourth set. He then held to clinch the match, then pumped his arm three times in celebration.