Australian Open: Dominic Thiem knocks out world no.1 Rafael Nadal to reach semi-finals

Dominic Thiem caught all the headlines when he knocked out Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal from the ongoing Australian Open on Wednesday (January 29).

The Austrian defeated World Number one to secure his place in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Thiem beat Nadal 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(6) in a thrilling encounter between the two which lasted for four hours and 10 minutes.

The 26-year is set to face Germany's Alexander Zverev in the semi-final next, with Roger Federer locking horns against Novak Djokovic in the other semi-final matchup.

Speaking at the post-match interview, Thiem said: “I think all the match was on a very good level, I think we were both on great form. We already had this epic match in New York two years ago."

“Today I was really feeling I was lucky in the right situations. The net cord was really on my side. He’s one of the biggest legends this sport’s ever had so you need some luck to beat him.”

Zverev had joked of his rivals earlier in the day by saying, "I'll have a cold glass of Coke sitting in my hotel room... hopefully watching them play for six hours."

In the past, Nadal had defeated Thiem in the last two French Open finals.

The Austrian will definitely be eyeing at winning his first-ever grand slam title on the back of his class-oozing performance against one of the veterans of the sport.