COMEBACK WELL ON TRACK
Nadal closes in on Federer for Melbourne final
Melbourne — Rafael Nadal edged closer to a much-anticipated Australian Open final with Roger Federer after marching into the semifinals on Wednesday. The 14-time Grand Slam champion was too powerful for injury-hit world No3 Milos Raonic, winning 6-4 7-6 (9/7) 6-4 in two hours 44 minutes. The Spanish superstar will play Bulgaria’s 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov in Friday’s semifinal. He leads Dimitrov 7-1. Nadal preferred to focus on his match with Dimitrov rather than contemplating a ninth Grand Slam final showdown with Federer, but he paid tribute to the Swiss legend for his amazing run at this year’s Australian Open. "Let me enjoy today, the victory, being in the semifinal. For me it is great news again. It’s a good start of the season," he told reporters. "Now I have a very tough match against Dimitrov. "Whatever happens on the other side of the draw, I think it is great for tennis that Roger is there again after an injury after a lot of people talked that probably he would never be b...
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