Rafael Nadal crashes out of Australian Open

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Melbourne, Jan 27: World No.7 Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic snapped a 17-match losing streak against Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, defeating him 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5) here Tuesday to reach the Australian Open semifinals.

In doing so, Berdych avoided becoming the first man to lose 18 straight tour-level matches against a single player.

It marked his first win over Nadal since the 2006 Madrid quarterfinals.

The 29-year-old Czech has not dropped a set this fortnight, and awaits the winner between three-time finalist Andy Murray and 19-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios, who face off Tuesday night.

Berdych also reached the semi-finals last year in Melbourne.

Nadal, the 2009 champion, was facing a top 10 opponent for the first time since defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2014 Roland Garros final.

IANS