Tsonga stings Nadal in semifinal

Roger Federer plays No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal tonight.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had been compared to a young Muhammad Ali only because of an uncanny likeness to the boxing great.

That was until he skipped across Rod Laver Arena, arms up in a biceps-flexing pose, thumbs pointing at his head after knocking out Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and getting a title shot at the Australian Open.

Nadal, ranked No. 2, got a taste of what No. 8 Richard Gasquet, No. 9 Andy Murray and No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny faced in earlier rounds.

Tsonga’s groundstrokes were audacious, his hand speed amazing. And he had the Spaniard stumbling well before he aced him on match point. The unseeded Frenchman, hampered by injuries for much of the last three seasons, eliminated Nadal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

“For me it’s a big dream. It’s just amazing — I played unbelievable,” Tsonga said. “Everything went in. My backhand worked a lot and my serve also. My forehand, my volley, my drop shot, everything. I was moving on the court like never I move, so everything was perfect.”

When Nadal tried to counterpunch, Tsonga had an answer — a half volley from ankle height, a powerful backhand or crisp forehand pass.

This was Nadal’s worst defeat at a major since his second-round loss to Andy Roddick at the 2004 U.S. Open — 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.

All of which means that for the third straight year, an unexpected player is in the Australian final.

Marcos Baghdatis, who edged Tsonga for the world junior No. 1 ranking in 2003, was the surprise finalist in 2006. Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez rode his big serve and powerful forehand to the final last year.

Both lost to Roger Federer, who plays No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal Friday night. Federer has played in the last 10 Grand Slam finals, including a win over Djokovic in the last U.S. Open final, and is bidding for a 13th major title.

Djokovic was one of three Serbians in the semifinals at Melbourne Park. One advanced and one exited on Thursday.

Nadal, the only man to beat Federer in the last 10 majors, had no explanation for his performance.

“I was playing fine,” Nadal said. “He played unbelievable. Congratulate him.”

Tsonga didn’t face any break points until the third set, when he saved three in one game.

“I can’t believe some of his volleys,” Nadal said. “I tried to play little bit slower; I tried to play a little bit faster; I tried to play more inside the court, behind the court. No chance. Not today.”

Tsonga broke Nadal at love to finish off the first set. With Nadal serving at 3-4 in the second, the Frenchman set up break point by spinning 360 degrees to reach a volley, then raised a finger to indicate “One more.”

A powerful overhead on the next point gave him a 5-3 lead. Tsonga served three aces — the third on a challenge after it was called out — to set up triple set point. He closed with a forehand winner.

Three points from the end, he hit an overhead so hard and deep that Nadal fell over, off balance. He followed with a low, flat forehand and an ace to cap it off.

Tsonga shook hands with Nadal at the net, then walked slowly to the chair before the magnitude of it hit him.

He jumped back onto the court, shuffling around like a prize fighter. He clapped his hands over his head and then clasped them together in front of him.

“The truth is, I didn’t have chances in this match,” Nadal said. “In this level like he played tonight, it’s very difficult to stop.”