Nadal beats Federer to reach final

Rafael Nadal powered past Roger Federer to reach the Australian Open final and maintain his dominance over the 17-time Grand Slam champion. The world number one came through 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-3 and goes on to face Federer's compatriot, Stanislas Wawrinka, for the title on Sunday. And the Spaniard, 27, will be a strong favourite to claim his 14th Slam, and become only the third man to win all four majors at least twice. "I played well," he said. "I played probably my best matchf the tournament, so I'm very, very, very happy that I played my best match in the semi-final against Roger." Nadal was in brilliant form in his 33rd meeting with Federer, overcoming a blister on his racquet hand and, if anything, growing stronger as the match progressed.