MELBOURNE, Australia — Not even Rafael Nadal could beat Tomas Berdych 18 times in a row.
After cracking repeatedly through the years and in the big Grand Slam matches, Berdych — one of the biggest hitters in tennis — finally held his nerve when he had to against Nadal on Tuesday.
Berdych’s surprisingly lopsided 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) quarterfinal victory put him into the final four of the Australian Open, where he will face either Andy Murray of Britain or the Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios, who were to play later Tuesday.
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“”Before the third set, I didn’t play with the right confidence, the right intensity, losing court, playing very short,” Nadal said Tuesday after the match.
“I’m feeling okay. It just was not my day. It was a day that my opponent played better than me.”
