Rafael Nadal

For the second time in as many years, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas battled Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Australian Open. 

For the second time in as many years, Medvedev bested his rival, extending his record against Tsitsipas to 7-2.

The match was not without controversy, including another coaching violation for Tsitsipas, but the Russian shook off an incredibly even start and midmatch rant to beat his opponent decisively and earn another trip to the finals. 

The world No. 2 earned the victory in four, setting up a championship showdown with Rafa Nadal in which he should be the favorite. 

Men's Scores

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1

Medvedev came back early in the match, erasing a 4-1 deficit in a tiebreak to win the first set.

He has never lost in the Australian Open after winning the first set, a record that now sits at 18-0.

After dropping the second set and earning a violation for a "visible obscenity," the Russian launched an accusatory rant at the umpire, claiming his opponent's father was consistently coaching.

Speaking in his post-match, on-court interview, he said that letting the anger over the situation get to him is not something that fuels his play.

"To be honest I don't think bad emotions help me too much. Many times I lose the match because of this. You lose concentration. You lose too much energy. As soon as I've done it, I thought, 'That was a big mistake.'"

After a dicey start to the third set, Medvedev recomposed himself and won 6-4 when Tsitsipas went wide right on the set point. It was the last truly competitive moment of the match.

The fourth set brought about a coaching violation for Tsitsipas, vindicating his opponent. The violation was set up when Greek-speaking official Eva Asderaki-Moore, located in the tunnel just underneath Tstitsipas' box, signaled the umpire upon detecting the coaching in a fairly clever and elaborate sting operation.

From there, it was all Medvedev. The 2021 U.S. Open winner picked his opponent apart, cashing his ticket to his second consecutive Australian Open final.

The opponent for that match?

Spain's Rafa Nadal, who defeated Italy's Matteo Berrettini, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, to advance.

For Nadal, the match with Medvedev is the culmination of a seemingly improbable run. At 35 years of age, coming off a devastating injury that sidelined him for six months and a bout of COVID-19 this past December, there was every reason to believe he would not make it as far as he has.

Now, he has an opportunity to break a three-way tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and become the first man to win 21 Grand Slams.

The emotion painting his face following his victory over Berrettini told the story of a legendary figure recognizing the arduous journey he has gone on to make it back to this moment and the realization that moments of this enormity are not to be taken for granted.

Beating Medvedev will not be easy, though.

The Russian is attempting to make history in his own right, becoming the first player to follow up his first Grand Slam victory immediately with his second, per tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg. He looks at it as a message to the tennis world, too, suggesting the top stars of the previous generation will be watching Sunday.

"What is funny is that I'm going against someone going for the 21st slam. I guess last time Rafa was watching near the TV and I think Novak will be watching this one also," he said on-court.

Nadal holds a 3-1 advantage over Medvedev in their previous matchups. Their biggest showdown to date was the 2019 U.S. Open final, won by Nadal in five sets.

Medvedev is a different player now than he was then, though. He's smarter, more tactical and capable of beating the best players in the world on the biggest stages. A win Sunday would put an exclamation point on his latest run and set him up to be the world's No. 1 sooner rather than later.

The 2022 Australian Open men's singles final will feature a member of the "Big Three" looking to set a men's record and an opponent looking for his second-straight trophy at a Grand Slam.

No. 6 Rafael Nadal punched his ticket to the climactic match by beating No. 7 Matteo Berrettini, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in Friday's semifinal. It will be his sixth appearance in the final in Melbourne; he won it all back in 2009.

Nadal is tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the most men's Grand Slam titles with 20. A second Aussie Open title would break the deadlock with his great rivals.

Standing in the way of Nadal and history is No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, who outlasted No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Friday's second semifinal match, winning 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Medvedev won his first major title at the 2021 U.S. Open by upsetting Djokovic. He can get his second if he takes down Nadal on Sunday. Here's how to watch.

2022 Australian Open Men's Singles Final

Where: Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia

When: Sunday, Jan. 30 at 3:30 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live stream: ESPN+

        

Nadal's Road to the Final

It's foolish to pick against Nadal in any Grand Slam tournament, but even he might've thought a finals appearance would be a bit ambitious considering his recent injury difficulties. 

This is just Nadal's second tournament after returning from a chronic foot injury that sidelined him for several months and kept him out of last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open. He even hinted at retirement. Rather than give up, the 35-year-old Spaniard soldiered on, got healthy and has returned to form rather quickly.

Nadal cruised through much of the first four rounds in Melbourne, dropping a lone set to No. 28 Karen Khachanov in his third match. Things got more difficult in the quarterfinal against No. 14 Denis Shapovalov.

After dropping the first two sets, Shapovalov put Nadal on the defensive and won the next two sets. Nadal looked like he might be destined for a third straight exit at the quarterfinals in this tournament, but he rallied to win the deciding set 6-3.

The match was apparently as exhausting as it looked, with Nadal saying it left him "completely destroyed," per Tennis World's Jovica Ilic. He must have recovered quickly because fatigue didn't seem to be much of an issue against Berrettini in the semifinal. Nadal's athleticism and skill shone through, helping him win long rallies like this one in the second set:

Berrettini put up a good fight and managed to take the third set off Nadal, but he couldn't sustain the level of play needed to beat the powerful lefty. After the match, Nadal talked about what it meant for him to have another shot at winning this tournament.

"I feel very lucky that I won once in my career in 2009, but I never thought about another chance in 2022. So I'll just try to enjoy the victory of today and then after tomorrow I'm going to try my best," he said in his on-court interview.

Now headed to the 29th Grand Slam final of his career, Nadal has a chance to make history.

     

Medvedev's Road to the Final

It's been quite the journey for Medvedev in Melbourne. The 25-year-old Russian has faced a mix of temperaments and playing styles through six rounds, but he's solved every riddle. 

In the second round, Medvedev ran into the mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios. The match featured outbursts from Kyrgios and some intriguing play, with Kyrgios mixing in some rare underhand serves to make Medvedev pay for his deep return position. Though Kyrgios did manage to win the third set, Medvedev was in control for long stretches of the match.

Medvedev then met Maxime Cressy in the fourth round, a rare practitioner of the serve-and-volley game. Cressy's charges to the net kept Medvedev off balance, and he managed to take a set. But, again, the world No. 2 persevered by keeping errors to a minimum and dominating when on serve.

The quarterfinal was a grueling five-set fight with No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian won the first two sets and had Medvedev on the brink in the third set. Medvedev managed to dig deep and win the third-set tiebreaker, then take the final two sets to win a match that lasted four hours and 42 minutes.

He got Tsitsipas in the semifinal. Medvedev won the first-set by razor-thin margins, with both men playing some of their best tennis.

This mesmerizing 34-shot rally in the ninth game is a good example:

Tsitsipas was able to break Medvedev twice and win the second set, which led to Medvedev accusing him of receiving coaching from his father and taking out his frustrations on the match official:

This wasn't Medvedev's first outburst of the tournament—he loudly complained his match with Cressy was "boring" because of the amount of time the American was taking between points—but he never let his emotions get the best of him. He elevated his game and took down Tstitsipas in four sets to reach the final.

"Grand Slam finals are special ... I'm ready. I know that Rafa is a very strong player, I know I will need to show my best to try to win this match," Medvedev said after the win, per the Guardian's Luke McLaughlin.

Prediction

This will be the second meeting between Nadal and Medvedev in a Grand Slam final. Nadal won the first outing at the 2019 U.S. Open, besting Medvedev in five sets. That tournament was Medvedev's first big breakthrough at a Grand Slam. His game has only improved since then. 

Nadal might be the sentimental favorite because he's close to making history, but he'll have to wait. Look for Medvedev to win the final and establish himself as a standard-bearer for a post-Big Three era (whenever that finally arrives). Nadal will simply have to set his sights on the French Open, his best tournament, to try for that 21st Grand Slam.

Four of the top six seeded players to enter the Australian Open men's singles draw advanced to the semifinals. 

Rafael Nadal is the most experienced member of the semifinal quartet, but he has not won in Melbourne since 2009.

Daniil Medvedev is viewed as the favorite to capture the season's first major because he won the last hard-court major at the U.S. Open in September over Novak Djokovic. 

Djokovic's absence from the Australian Open opened the door for Medvedev to win back-to-back majors and establish himself among the titans of the men's game.

Medvedev can add another massive win to his resume if he beats Nadal in a potential final, but first, he needs to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

Tsitsipas comes into the semifinal round with a rest advantage after he needed three sets to win his quarterfinal match. Medvedev rebounded from two sets down to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a four-hour thriller. 

Nadal faces Matteo Berrettini in the other semifinal clash. The Spaniard has one win over the Italian in his career from the 2019 U.S. Open semifinals. 

The two semifinals will be played on Thursday night and Friday morning in the eastern time zone. Both of those matches will take place on Friday in Australian eastern daylight time. The winners will face off on Sunday inside Rod Laver Arena. 

Australian Open Men's Semifinal TV Schedule

Dates: Thursday, January 27, and Friday, January 28

Start Times: Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET), Friday (3:30 a.m. ET) 

TV: ESPN 

Live Stream: ESPN+ and ESPN.com.

Previews

No. 6 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 7 Matteo Berrettini

Rafael Nadal has every advantage a player could ask for going into a Grand Slam semifinal match.

Nadal is a 20-time major winner, and he carries an extra bit of motivation to capture his first title down under since 2009.

Nadal won most of his major titles on the Roland-Garros clay. He has five hard-court Grand Slam titles, and only two of them have come in the last five years. 

The 35-year-old beat Matteo Berrettini on the New York hard court in the semifinal stage in 2019. That could give Nadal an extra psychological edge going into their semifinal clash.

Berrettini emerged as a more consistent threat on the Grand Slam stage over the last 12 months. He reached the Wimbledon final and advanced to the final eight at the French and U.S. Opens. 

Berrettini's lone Grand Slam semifinal triumph did not come against one of the best players in the world. He beat Hubert Hurkacz to reach the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. 

The first-ever men's Australian Open semifinalist from Italy lost to Djokovic on three occasions during last season's Grand Slam calendar. 

He should welcome the sight of not playing the No. 1 player in the world, but he still has a tough assignment versus Nadal.

Berrettini must be much cleaner on the court to challenge Nadal. All but one of the Italian's five matches in Australia have gone four or five sets. 

Nadal's only real challenge came from Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinal, and he responded to that with a strong fifth set to close out the Canadian.

Berrettini has a chance to knock off Nadal because the hard court is not the Spaniard's preferred surface, but the 35-year-old could come in with extra motivation to win down under for the first time in a decade and become the winningest men's major champion ever. 

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas

Daniil Medvedev's reward for grinding out a five-set quarterfinal battle is a matchup with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The two stars of the new generation of men's tennis squared off eight times in the past. Medvedev owns a 6-2 advantage in the series, but Tsitsipas won two of the last three meetings. 

The two players split their Grand Slam meetings in 2021. Medvedev won in the Australian Open semifinal, while Tsitsipas took their French Open quarterfinal battle. 

Medvedev is the better hard-court player, but he comes into the semifinal showdown off the harder of the two quarterfinal victories. 

The second-seeded Russian expended a ton of energy in his five-set, four-hour win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. That could take a toll on his body no matter how good of shape he is in. 

Medvedev should still display a ton of quality on the court, but Tsitsipas is fresher and could take advantage of that to grab an early lead and put the Russian under pressure. 

Tsitsipas was far from perfect in his first four matches, but he should come into the semifinal clash with a ton of confidence after a straight-set win over Jannik Sinner. That may help the Greek player get off to a fast start, and it could lead to a win over the highest seed left in the men's singles draw. 

Rafael Nadal survived a five-set thriller against Denis Shapovalov to reach the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Women's top seed Ashleigh Barty, resurgent American Madison Keys and Matteo Berrettini were the other players to punch their tickets to the penultimate round of the season's first Grand Slam tournament on Tuesday.

Let's check out the full list of singles scores from Day 9 of the Australian Open. That's followed by a recap of the action.

Men's Results

(6) Rafael Nadal d. (14) Denis Shapovalov; 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3

(7) Matteo Berrettini d. (17) Gael Monfils; 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2

Women's Results

(1) Ashleigh Barty d. (21) Jessica Pegula; 6-2, 6-0

Madison Keys d. (4) Barbora Krejcikova; 6-3, 6-2

Day 9 Recap

Nadal was pushed to his physical limit by a gamely Shapovalov, who played a terrific match despite the loss with 53 winners and 20 aces. However, Nadal found a way to keep his hopes of setting the new all-time men's record for Grand Slam titles alive.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is currently tied with longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with 20 major championships, but he hasn't captured the title at Melbourne Park since 2009. He's now just two wins away from ending that drought.

He'll benefit from an extra day of rest ahead of the semifinals on Friday, saying during his on-court interview the battle with Shapovalov left him "completely destroyed."

"After these matches, it's great to have two days off," Nadal said. "I hope and I really believe I am going to be ready for the semifinals. For me, it's everything to be able to play one more time in Rod Laver Arena in that semifinal match. I'm just excited and happy and can't thank everyone enough for the support."

He overcame a mediocre serving day (eight aces and 11 double faults) thanks to a strong winner-to-error ratio (41-28), great play at net (22 of 26) and coming up with three breaks on serve, including one early in the fifth set to turn the tide back in his favor.

Nadal advances to face Berrettini in the semifinals.

Similar to his counterpart in the next round, the Italian nearly let a two-set lead slip away Tuesday before storming back with a strong fifth set to advance. It's his third career appearance in a major semifinal as he continues to hunt his first Grand Slam title.

Berrettini recorded 51 winners and 12 aces in a highlight-filled encounter with the always-entertaining Monfils.

Nadal won their only previous ATP Tour meeting in straight sets at the 2019 US Open.

In the women's draw, Barty continued her run of dominance as she breezed past Pegula, who still matched her best Grand Slam result by reaching the quarterfinals.

The top-seeded Aussie overwhelmed the American in all aspects on Tuesday, however, finishing the win with clear advantages in winners (17-7), aces (6-1), breaks of serve (5-0) and percentage of return points won (50-24).

"That was solid tonight," Barty told reporters. "I was able to serve and find a lot of forehands in the center of the court, and I was happy to take the game on; be aggressive off my forehand, not worry if I miss a couple as long as I'm doing the right thing, and I felt like I was able to do that the whole match."

She'll take on another American in Keys with a spot in the final on the line.

Keys was one of tennis' rising stars from late 2017 through 2018, a stretch that included three runs to major semifinals, including an appearance in the 2017 US Open final against Sloane Stephens.

After struggling to meet that standard in recent years, she's back in Grand Slam title contention after a wonderful display of power tennis on Tuesday. She tallied 27 aces and 11 winners as part of the lopsided upset of Krejcikova.

Barty holds a 2-1 advantage in their prior WTA Tour meetings, but they haven't faced off since 2019.

The remaining quarterfinals will take place Wednesday in Melbourne.

Men's play will include a quartet of high seeds: No. 2 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. No. 11 Jannik Sinner.

A couple of unseeded contenders will be in action on the women's side as Kaia Kanepi challenges No. 7 Iga Swiatek and Alize Cornet faces off with No. 27 Danielle Collins.

Rafael Nadal advanced past the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2019 with a 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, win over 22-year-old Denis Shapovalov on Monday night.

While he has made the finals five times, Nadal has won the Australian Open just once in his career in 2009.

Nadal was sharp to start the match. He converted on 76 percent of his first serves in the first set and lost just five points on serve.

The second set was much more eventful, thanks in large part to Shapovalov's confrontation with the umpire.

He complained that Nadal should've received a time violation, and when he did it again, the umpire responded. Shapovalov and Nadal met at the net and seemingly worked things out.

Shapovalov jumped out to a 3-2 lead, but Nadal held serve and then earned his second break point of the day to go in front. The youngster began yelling towards his box, though it wasn't clear if he was angry at his coach or himself.

Shapovalov managed to compose himself and save a set point to make it 5-4, but Nadal was just too strong with his serve and closed out the set on the next point. His strength caused Shapovalov to struggle with his return shots throughout the entire match.

Nadal is nearly unstoppable when he takes a two-set lead, as pointed out by ESPN's Chris McKendry:

In the third set, Shapovalov once again took a 3-2 lead. Nadal had two double faults in the next game to set up Shapovalov with a chance at his first break point, but he was able to battle back to deuce and eventually took the point. It was a major missed opportunity for Shapovalov.

Both players managed to hold serve on their next chances to create a 4-4 tie. Nadal's eighth double fault opened the door for Shapovalov to eventually work his way to set point, and this time, the Canadian managed to take advantage with a late break.

Ultimately, Shapovalov was able to keep the match alive by securing the third set:

With momentum firmly on his side, Shapovalov jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, which included a somewhat controversial decision from the chair umpire.

Nadal was serving to avoid a break when he was given a time violation before double faulting to drop the game, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

Shapovalov ultimately closed out the fourth set 6-3, resulting in a major celebration:

Rafa used his experience to steady the ship, though, as he held serve to start the final set and then broke Shapovalov at 40-15 to take a massive 2-0 lead.

They traded holds of serve the rest of the way, but one more break was all Nadal needed to secure his spot in the semifinals.

A relieved Nadal reveled in the victory in Melbourne after finally taking care of his difficult opponent:

Rafa also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete in the Australian Open at a high level:

With Novak Djokovic not permitted to take part in the tournament because of his COVID-19 vaccination status, Nadal may now be the favorite to go the distance and win his 21st Grand Slam singles title.

Nadal now awaits the winner of Tuesday morning's quarterfinal match between Gael Monfils and Matteo Berrettini in the semis.

Rafael Nadal's straight-set victory over Adrian Mannarino highlighted the results from Day 7 at the 2022 Australian Open. 

Their fourth-round match was highlighted by a first-set tiebreak that featured 30 points between the two players before Nadal was able to put it away. He cruised through the next two sets, only dropping a total of four games. 

The entire match took 2 hours, 40 minutes to complete, with the first set taking up 82 minutes alone. Nadal had 16 aces in the match, with seven of them coming in the opening set. 

Saturday's win moves Nadal into the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. The Spanish superstar lost to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 quarterfinal. 

Here are the notable results from the fourth round at the Australian Open. 

Men's Singles

No. 6 Rafael Nadal def. Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2

No. 7 Matteo Berrettini def. No. 19 Pablo Carreno Busta, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-4

No. 14 Denis Shapovalov def. No. 3 Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3

No. 17 Gael Monfils def. Miomir Kecmanovic, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3

Women's Singles

No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 6-3

No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova def. No. 24 Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 6-2

Madison Keys def. No. 8 Paula Badosa, 6-3, 6-1

No. 21 Jessica Pegula def. No. 5 Maria Sakkari, 7-6 (0), 6-3

Full results via AusOpen.com

Nadal will take on No. 14 Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinal after the 22-year-old upset Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Saturday. 

Shapovalov did a fantastic job of containing Zverev's big serve. The 24-year-old German came into the match averaging 14.7 aces in the first three rounds of the tournament, but he only had three in the fourth round combined with eight double-faults. 

Zverev had not dropped a set in his previous three matches, though he did have a close call with two tiebreaks in the first round against Daniel Altmaier. This marks his first time not reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals since 2019 when he was also knocked out in the fourth round. 

Saturday's win sent Shapovalov into the fourth round of this tournament for the first time in his career. Nadal has won four of five head-to-head meetings between the two, including the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome last May. 

On the women's side of the bracket, No. 1 Ashleigh Barty continues to steamroll the competition as she chases her first Australian Open title. The 25-year-old needed just 74 minutes to finish a 6-4, 6-3 win over Amanda Anisimova. 

Barty had seven aces, won all six of her net-point chances and converted four of 11 break points. She has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Anisimova became the first person in the tournament to win four games in a single set against her through four matches. 

Jessica Pegula will look to slow down Barty's momentum. The American continued her career-best run at the Australian Open with an upset win over No. 5 Maria Sakkari in the fourth round. 

Since dropping her first set in the opening round against Anhelina Kalinina, Pegula has won eight straight sets to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. 

The biggest upset of the day saw Madison Keys send No. 8 Paula Badosa home with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. The American has now defeated two of the top 11 seeds in the tournament. The 26-year-old beat No. 11 Sofia Kenin in the first round. 

Badosa was her own worst enemy in the loss. She committed 10 double-faults and had 20 unforced errors. 

Keys is in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. She will have to pull off another upset to keep this run going when she takes on No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova on Monday. 

Rafael Nadal is into the Australian Open quarterfinals after a straight-set victory 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2 over Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round on Saturday night.

The match was highlighted by an epic first-set tiebreak that featured 30 total points between the two players and took 82 minutes to complete.

Mannarino had four set-point opportunities in the opener and saved six chances from Nadal, but the seventh one finally proved to be too much for him.

"First set [was] very, very emotional," Nadal told reporters after the match. "Anything could happen there. I was a little bit lucky at the end. I had chances; he had a lot of chances too."

Nadal and Mannarino combined for 11 aces, 36 winners and 24 unforced errors in the first set.

Things settled down after the first set with Nadal only losing four total games over the next two sets. He had 16 total aces against Mannarino, four more than in his first three matches of the tournament combined.

Mannarino, whose fourth-round appearance marked his deepest run at the Australian Open, seemed to run out of steam after that grueling opener. The 33-year-old was playing this match less than 24 hours after his victory over Aslan Karatsev that took four hours, 38 minutes to complete.

The Associated Press noted Mannarino appeared to be nursing an injury to his abdomen or upper leg throughout the match. He didn't mention anything while speaking to reporters afterward.

Nadal is chasing his second career Australian Open title. He previously won this tournament in 2009 and reached the final most recently in 2019, when he lost to Novak Djokovic. 

The 35-year-old will take on No. 14 Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinal on Monday. Shapovalov upset third-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the fourth round.

Despite the departure of Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1-ranked tennis player, before the tournament, the Australian Open has not wanted for excitement.

Amanda Anisimova upset defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round, and Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the fourth round by beating Benoit Paire but had played so hard and was so focused that he didn't realize the match was over and he'd won.

Rafael Nadal is back after a career-threatening foot injury and blew past Karen Khachanov (No. 28 seed) in four sets to deliver a statement victory on the way to the fourth round.

Then there was Sorana Cirstea, ranked No. 38 in the world, who upset No 10 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets to continue her surprise dominance in Melbourne.

Men's Scores

(2) Daniil Medvedev def. Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Benoit Paire, 6-3, 7-5, (2) 6-7, 6-4

(9) Felix Auger-Aliassime def. (24) Dan Evans, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1

(27) Marin Cilic def. (6) Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3

(11) Jannik Sinner def. Taro Daniel, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1

Maxime Cressy def. Christopher O'Connell, 6-2, (6) 6-7, 6-3, 6-2

No Novak, no problem. This year's Australian Open is all about Nadal's comeback.

It's not easy to make it back to the tennis court after almost six months of rehabilitation from a chronic foot injury.

But there Nadal was, back in action and showing once again why he's a 20-time Grand Slam champion.

The 35-year old Spaniard made quick work of Khachanov to move to the fourth round and is on pace to face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Nadal is jubilant and playing with something to prove.

"It is a very special week for me. Every time I am able to play here is a very special thing," Nadal said on court after beating Khachanov. "I played against a great player and a good friend on tour. It has been my best match since I came back.

"For the moment, yes, I have been going through some very tough times the last year-and-a-half, but for me, nights like today mean everything. That is a lot of energy in my pocket to keep going, keep fighting, every single day. I am super happy. Thank you very much, everybody."

Outside of Nadal, there's another super-talented player lurking with the talent to win it all in Melbourne: Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The 23-year old Greek player rolled past Frenchman Benoit Paire and will face Taylor Fritz of the United States in the fourth round.

Tsitsipas is playing some inspired tennis, and if he can stay focused, he could be the last man standing at Rod Laver Arena.

Women's Scores

Sorana Cirstea def. (10) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2

(7) Iga Swiatek def. (25) Daria Kasatkina, 6-2, 6-3

(2) Aryna Sabalenka def (31) Marketa Vondrousova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1

(14) Simona Halep def. Danka Kovinic, 6-2, 6-1

Kaia Kanepi def. Maddison Inglis, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0

Alize Cornet def. (29) Tamara Zidansek, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

(19) Elise Mertens def. Zhang Shuai, 6-2, 6-2

(27) Danielle Collins def. Clara Tauson, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Coming into Melbourne, much of the media oxygen on the women's singles side was dedicated to Osaka and Ashleigh Barty.

Osaka was the returning champion, and everyone wanted to see her face off against Barty.

That matchup won't come to pass.

Osaka was upset in the third round, and Barty is still playing, scheduled to face Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round.

But even when there are marquee matches on everyone's minds, there is always a player who comes out of nowhere to shock the system.

This year, that player is Sorana Cirstea.

The unseeded Romanian finds herself headed to the fourth round after upsetting Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and will face No.7 seed Iga Swiatek for the first time.

If she can upset Swiatek and make it to the quarterfinals, fans will likely get behind her, and she could give Barty quite the scare.