Dominic Thiem beats Rafael Nadal in epic battle at Australian Open

Austian seals 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 win and sets up semi-final against Zverev, after the German recovers from dire start to beat veteran Wawrinka

Dominic Thiem, left, is congratulated by Rafael Nadal after winning their quarter-final match at the Australian Open. AP

Austria's Dominic Thiem stunned Rafael Nadal in an epic clash on Wednesday to send the world No 1 tumbling out of the Australian Open and set up a semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

Thiem beaten by Nadal in the last two French Open finals, battled past the Spaniard 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to deny him a crack at a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title. The 26-year-old missed two match points before taking a third to win in four hours and 10 minutes.

He will now meet German seventh seed Zverev, who shattered the dreams of veteran Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to book his maiden place in a Grand Slam last four.

Awaiting the winner of that clash will be either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or six-time winner Roger Federer, who meet in the other semi-final.

"All the match was on a very good level, I think we are both in great form," said Thiem, only becoming the second Austrian to make the Melbourne semis after Thomas Muster – the man he sacked this week as an advisor.

"Today I had the feeling I was lucky in the right situation ... it is necessary because he is one of the greatest of all time. You need some luck to beat him.

"I was holding my serve great and then it came to 5-4. That was a special situation for me, serving against Rafa for a place in the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time. It was a mentally tough situation but I turned it around again in the tie-breaker."

Defeat also means Nadal, 33, must wait another year to try to become the first man in the Open era – and only the third in history – to win all four major titles twice, after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver.

"Of course, I am sad. I lost an opportunity to be in the semi-finals of another Grand Slam," said Nadal. "But I lost against a great opponent. And he deserved it, too. Well done for him."

Asked if there was anything he would have done differently, Nadal replied: "Yes, win any tiebreak ... but that's how it works. Sometimes things are not going the way that you would like.

"But he played with the right determination. He was putting one more ball in all the time in a difficult position for me. He's playing with a lot of energy, aggressive, determination.

"He has a lot of power, so he's able to produce these amazing shots from a very difficult position. I honestly didn't play a bad match.”

Now Thiem will play Zverev on Friday for a place in the final. The German reached his first major semi-final by overcoming a terrible start before beating three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

"It feels awesome," said 22-year-old Zverev, who has been donating $10,000 for each win at Melbourne Park to Australian bushfire relief, and will even hand over the Aus$4.12 million (Dh10.2m) winner's cheque if he clinches the title.

"I've done well at other tournaments and in other matches but could never break that barrier in Grand Slams. You can't imagine what this means to me. It hope it will be the first of many."

Big things have been tipped for Zverev since he burst into the top 10 in 2017, but until now he has not fully delivered at the Slams.

But after a poor build-up to the year's opening Major at the ATP Cup, where he lost all three matches, he worked hard on the practice court and changed his routine to take the pressure off.

"I mean, I've done well at other tournaments. I've won Masters Series, World Tour Finals. But the Grand Slams were always the week where I kind of even wanted it too much," he said after beating 34-year-old Wawrinka.

"I was doing things in a way too professional way. I was not talking to anybody. I wasn't going out with friends. I wasn't having dinner. I was just really almost too focused.

"I changed that a little bit this week. I'm doing much more things outside the court. I also was playing that bad at ATP Cup that I didn't have any expectations.

"I wasn't really expecting myself in the semi-finals or quarter-finals. Maybe this is a stepping stone. Maybe this is how it should happen."