Russian
world number two Daniil Medvedev defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in a heated Australian
Open semifinal on Friday to set up a summit clash with Rafael Nadal and keep his
bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam title alive.

Medvedev
won 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 against his Greek opponent, taking control of the match halfway
through the third set. The tie had been very evenly balanced till that point, with
Tsitsipas seeming on course to avenge his loss against the Russian at the same
stage in Melbourne last year.  

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But
before asserting his dominance, tempers flared as Medvedev lost his cool over what he thought was Tsitsipas receiving coaching from his father in the stands. Court-side coaching is
prohibited in tennis games and Medvedev demanded the Greek be cautioned over
the same. He vented his frustrations over the same to the chair umpire, who he thought
was letting Tsitsipas off the hook.

“Are you
stupid? His father can talk every point?” Medvedev shouted at the chair umpire.
The 25-yer-old was not satisfied with the umpire’s reply, saying, “Can you
answer my question please?” he said.

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The
umpire said Tsitsipas was not receiving coaching, which further infuriated
Medvedev. “Oh my god, how can you be so bad in semi-final of a Grand Slam?
Look at me, I am talking to you,” he added as the umpire tried to calm the infuriated
Russian.

Tsitsipas
then got a time violation warning at deuce before winning a point, at which
Medvedev said, “Next time it should be a code violation”.

“If you
don’t do it, you are… How can I say it… a small cat,” he added.  

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Medvedev
lost the set, took a five-minute break and returned with more composure.

He
converted a crucial service break late in the third set and he won the last
five games to wrap it up.

Rafael
Nadal stayed on track for a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles title when he
beat Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the other semifinal.