Bucking the trend of big upsets in the past 48 hours, Rafael Nadal safely navigated his way through to the Australian Open semifinals, winning a tight four-set tussle against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. In the 3-6 7-6 7-6 6-2 win, Nadal was pushed to the brink but was let off by a couple of poor errors from the inexperienced Dimitrov. Otherwise, it was an impressive performance by the Bulgarian who showed merit in the “baby Federer” tag that he’s managed to acquire.

Dimitrov showed that at times, he can even outplay the best as he took advantage of a sloppy start by the world No. 1. Nadal’s serve started brittle and Dimitrov was awarded an early break point opportunity. The one break point was all that Dimitrov needed as he broke and then ran away with the first set to win it 6-3 in 32 minutes. The crowd wondered who they were watching as the world No. 22 at times bullied Nadal, attacking deep to his backhand with almost every shot.

Although the crowd was shocked at Nadal losing the first set, the inevitable question of whether Dimitrov could sustain the intensity remained on everyone’s lips. That question was soon answered as the Bulgarian did everything to win the match, short of actually winning it. His intensity throughout the match was that of a player ranked in the top five. His game plan was crafted perfectly to the Nadal game, and he executed it seamlessly. But champions like Nadal live on the points that define matches, and this was evident at the crucial stages of the quarterfinal where he quickly transitioned to defense and punished any poor shot from the 22nd seed.

Dimitrov played an extremely clean and disciplined game, but he dropped in intensity and the quality at the times that mattered. This was evident when he held a set point in the third set tiebreak to take a two sets to one lead. All the Bulgarian had to do to seal the set was place a half-court forehand into the open court, and yet he sent the forehand wide and let Nadal back into the tie-breaker. It was clear it was such a huge moment in the match, for his coach Roger Rasheed was shown on camera during the point with his head sinking into his hands as soon as the error was made. Nadal didn’t need to be asked twice as he held his serve and won the third set.

When Dimitrov was asked about that forehand in the post-match press conference, he started to break down. “It's just a tough shot. It's a tough choice,” a tearful Dimitrov said. “I'm sure I could have done something different. But in a match everything comes down to a split second.”

After missing that set point, Dimitrov was unable to mentally recover from losing the third set, and Nadal ran away with the match. Dimitrov admitted he was devastated to have lost the match in the manner that he did.

“There are a lot of mixed feelings right now. I'm a bit shattered,” Dimitrov said. “It's tough losing that match, my first quarterfinal. I came out expecting nothing less than to win.”

Nadal acknowledged the huge moment in the match where Dimitrov missed the easy forehand. “It was an important moment. It was a decisive one,” he admitted. “If that forehand from him goes in and he wins the third, I was going to have to keep fighting. I was tired.”

Nadal also said he tried to lift his intensity after winning the third, sensing his opponent was wavering. “Yes, I played better in the fourth,” a smiling Nadal said. “I hit good shots, good passing shots, and good forehands down the line. I was able to play a little bit more confident.”

Nadal will meet archrival Roger Federer in the semifinals after Federer outlasted a slightly rusty Andy Murray in four sets. Murray had won their last encounter at last year’s Australian Open, but Federer held firm from the outset, showing no mercy to the Scot who was still showing movement issues after returning from back surgery.

Although not controlling the match as well as he did in the fourth round against Tsonga, Federer once again attempted to implement his aggressive game style by approaching the net more and running around to hit forehands. It worked brilliantly in the first two sets as he used his inside-out cross-court forehand to attack deep on the Murray backhand. While he was assisted by careless unforced errors on Murray’s side of the court, Federer never released the pressure on the valve, suffocating Murray and causing the errors.

Although Murray won the third set, the crowd was unsure whether he’d actually have the physical form to be able to challenge Federer in five. And it proved the pivotal question as Murray’s back appeared to hinder him throughout the match, particularly in the fourth set. He was able to serve efficiently, and his movement side to side was unhindered. But it was his retrieving of low balls and his vertical movement that appeared to deteriorate as the match progressed. At one point in the second set, he was forced to get to a very low ball on a backhand slice, and he shanked it while showing a look of agony on his face.

Taking nothing away from Federer, the Swiss sixth seed appeared to have turned back the clock as he took advantage of his uncharacteristically errant opponent. It was a clean Federer as he hit 54 winners to 42 unforced errors in a 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-3 win.

He was as efficient on his serve as he’s ever been, and Murray believed this to be the difference.

“He served extremely well,” the Scot acknowledged. “As much as I would have liked to have returned better, he served very well and he didn't allow me to do that.

But Murray was also pleased with how he performed after coming back from his back injury. “I've come a long way in four months,” he said. “That's the highest level I've played at in a long time.”

Despite losing the third set, Federer didn’t think Murray had the physical form to be able to win five after noticing he was physically struggling. “I know exactly what he's going through, because that's how I felt sometimes because you couldn't work out sometimes,” Federer said. “You get tired throughout the match. It's just not a good feeling to have because you start doubting yourself and then things get tough.”

A beaming Federer was also extremely pleased in how he executed his aggressive game against an ailing Murray. “It was a great game on many levels today, not just physically” he said.  “Also just mentally it was tough. Then I really played some good tennis. I am very happy.”

Despite not winning against Nadal on the last four occasions, and not at a major since 2007, Federer will be confident that he can beat his archrival after seeing his match against Dimitrov today. And with the aggressive game plan he’s formulated, coupled with his sublime movement, not many would suggest he wouldn’t push Nadal for a place in the final.