World number two Rafael Nadal overcame an early hiccup to thump Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 7-5 6-3 6-1 and reach his first Australian Open semi-final.
Nadal was briefly in trouble when Nieminen had two set points at 5-4 in the first set, but two big serves from the Spaniard got him out of trouble.
And despite the energetic Finn's best efforts, Nadal did not look back.
He next faces unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who overpowered Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-0 7-6 (8-6).
Tsonga is likely to pose a greater threat, although Nieminen battled gamely.
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