In a pulsating match that lasted 4hr 56 min, Nadal eventually came through to set up the final that the majority of the tennis world has been desperately hoping for.
The final will begin at 08.30 GMT on Sunday morning.
A match for the ages – and possibly another one to come on Sunday
Where to start on truly one of the great matches in tennis history. Nadal toughed it out, but Dimitrov produced a sensational performance to push the 14-time slam champion to the absolute limit.
The match ultimately came down to the break points Dimitrov missed at 4-3 which would have left him serving for a place in the final.
As it was, Nadal just found a way to claim the win and set up the organisers’ dream final against Roger Federer on Sunday. I would make the Spaniard the underdog having endured such a physical battle and having a day’s less rest, but he leads the head to head 23-11 and has won nine of the 11 slam matches between the two.
In a sense though it’s hard to know how much to read into those records, as most were played such a long time ago and only three of the matches at majors have taken place since the Australian Open final in 2009.
For Dimitrov, this has to be a springboard for greater success at the majors, in the way that his previous slam semi at Wimbledon three years ago comprehensively failed to be. The Bulgarian has all the shots in the book and with Dani Vallverdu in his camp looks as though he’s finally going to deliver on his considerable potential and become a grand slam champion. He certainly won a lot of admirers today.
