Nadal fends off Shapovalov, advances to semis in Australia

Published January 24, 2022 11:19 PM

By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal fended off Denis Shapovalov in five sets to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the seventh time and keep his bid on track for a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles title. Nadal shares the men’s record with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Neither of those two are in Melbourne. Nadal was dominant for the first 2 1/2 sets against Shapovalov but appeared to be hampered at times by a stomach problem. Top-ranked Ash Barty beat Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-0 and will next play 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys in the semifinals. Keys advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.