Rafael Nadal set up a showdown with Roger Federer in the Australian Open final after a thrilling victory over
Fernando Verdasco.
The Spanish rivals battled it out in a nerve-wracking five-setter in Melbourne. World No1 Nadal nicked it in the end after five hours and 14 minutes of epic tennis.
It was the longest match in the history of the Australian Open - and Nadal now faces a fight to recover ahead of Sunday's final.
He eventually overcame Verdasco 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena. But Federer will be thanking Verdasco for making Nadal work so hard for his win in a match that had everything.
The pair exchanged blistering ground strokes, delicate drop shots, smashes, bullet-like serving and even the odd volley.
In the end, Nadal prevailed but he will be aware of how close he came to crashing out in Melbourne.
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