Rafael Nadal beats Fernando Verdasco in epic five-set semi-final

RAFAEL Nadal last night ensured a superstar showdown against Roger Federer for this year's Australian Open after defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 in the longest match ever played at Melbourne Park.
Both players slumped to the ground, one in elation and the other in despair when Verdasco's brave bid ended with a double fault after five hours and 14 minutes.
"Right now I feel very happy more than tired," Nadal said.
"It was amazing for me. It was one of my best matches in my career.
"Fernando is playing unbelievable. His serve was amazing. It is his best tournament of his career but today, he deserved this win too, so I want to congratulate him too."
So now to Federer. While the decorated pair have shared centre court on the final Sunday of the past three Wimbledon and French Open championships, their first meeting in Melbourne tomorrow night will be a history making occasion.
Federer, who was denied by Nadal in both Paris and London last year, will join Pete Sampras as the joint-holder of the record of Grand Slam titles with 14 if successful in claiming his fourth Australian championship.
A victory by Nadal would see him become the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open.
While Federer has enjoyed an extra night's rest and played at the rarest of levels in his two most recent wins over Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Roddick, he will be mindful of Nadal's penchant for denying him on the most important of occasions.
Bar for the 22-year-old, it is almost certain Federer would already have reeled in Sampras. More importantly, without Nadal as a rival, Federer could have two Grand Slam's to his name, with his losses in the 2007 and 2008 French Open finals ruining otherwise perfect years.
Regardless, this is the final all in Australia have waited for.
"In my opinion he is the best in history, to be like Pete Sampras, so it is an important match for him, but it is important for me to," Nadal said.
"I am going to play one of the best matches of my career."
But the dream meeting did not come without serious scares for both champions.
Federer's came against Tomas Berdych in the fourth round when he was forced to overcome a two-set deficit.
The test of Nadal's credentials came last night and it was as difficult as they come. Entering the semi-final, Nadal had lost just one set to his older countryman in seven outings.
Their most recent encounter at Grand Slam level was an embarrassment for the 25-year-old Spaniard, with Nadal allowing him just three games in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. Yet this year's version of Verdasco resembles that player only in name and appearance.
Long nights on the nightclub floors have been replaced by torturous sprints up Magic Mountain in Las Vegas, the strip that honed Andre Agassi's legs of steel.
A concentration span that lasted only as long as the next pretty girl to wander by is now fixed firmly on success at the highest level and Verdasco, the hero of Spain's Davis Cup triumph last night, came closer than many thought possible before last night's clash.
In an enthralling match, it was Verdasco that stole to an early lead through an aggressive gam-plan that garnered the first set.
A night earlier Andy Roddick had played a fine match against Federer, but critics complained he did not take the risks needed to give himself a chance.
That can not be applied to Verdasco, who thumped 93 winners against his freakish rival yet still lost.
"That is too many," Nadal said.
While both served incredibly well in the first set - they averaged above 70 per cent of first deliveries - Verdasco was more willing to take risks from the baseline.
He may have made 20 unforced errors for the set to Nadal's five, but more than compensated in thumping 25 winners to his rival's eight. It was a clear sign he was taking it up to the world's top-ranked player.
The second set proved just as tight, with Verdasco holding his nerve and serve in seeing off several break point opportunities until the final game of the set.
After conceding a 40-15 lead with two uncharacteristically lazy shots, Verdasco watched in dismay as Nadal curled a forehand winner whilst well out of court to bring up set point.
An overhit forehand in the next exchange saw the ledger squared.
The mental toughness on serve continued to evade Verdasco early in the third, with the world No. 15 faltering twice.
Normally, this would be enough for Nadal to bolt away with the match, but Verdasco refused to concede to push the set to a tiebreaker.
Here, though, Nadal proved superior, watching as his older opponent made several mistakes from the ground to throw away the decider.
The fourth set was a classic, neither player ceding an inch. While Verdasco was forced to call for the trainer twice early in the set as his legs fatigued, he continued to push himself from one side to the other against a baseliner as formidible as any in the history of tennis.
Where Verdasco's effort in the third-set tiebreaker was errant, the fourth was spectacular as the Spaniard reeled off six successive points at a standard he could never have dreamed of before closing it out 7-1 with another huge serve as the match passed four hours and twenty minutes.
No quarter was given in the final set with the players stretching each other short and long, side to side, until Verdasco's serve stalled at 5-4.
After slumping to 0-40, he saved two match points with huge serves and blistering volleys, only to throw it away with a double-fault.