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MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in an Australian Open semifinal on Thursday night, the longtime rivals playing with the intensity they normally display when they meet in Grand Slam finals. cheap nfl jerseys . Though the stars who have met in eight Grand Slam finals were on the same side of the draw for the first time at a major since 2005, they played as if the title were at stake. This time, though, only Nadal will have the opportunity to win another championship — on Sunday night when the Spanish left-hander plays the winner of Fridays semifinal between defending champion Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. In doubles play, Torontos Daniel Nestor and Belarusian partner Max Mirnyi lost their semifinal 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Indias Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. But a pair of Canadians advanced to the semifinals in junior play. Vancouvers Filip Peliwo defeated Joshua Ward-Hibbert of Britain, 6-3, 6-2 while second-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Montreal downed Risa Ozaki of Japan 6-4, 6-3. Nadal, who holds a 6-2 edge in Grand Slam finals against Federer, made the key service break in the ninth game of the fourth set, making an incredible cross-court forehand winner from well behind the baseline, then watching as Federer hit a backhand wide to give Nadal a 5-4 lead. Serving for the match, Nadal moved two points away from the win when Federer sent a backhand long. He won on his second match point when Federer floated a forehand long. At the end, Nadal smashed a ball up high in the stadium, almost clearing the roof. He then applauded along with the crowd when Federer walked off. Two weeks ago, Nadal injured his right knee and wasnt sure hed be able to start the tournament. Now, he can barely believe hes in the final. "If you tell me that two Sundays ago, I really cannot imagine," Nadal said. "For me, its a dream to be back in a final of the Australian Open." The 25-year-old Spaniard won the 2009 Australian title but lost in the quarter-finals in his next two trips to Melbourne Park. Federer hasnt added to his record 16 Grand Slam titles since he won the 2010 Australian Open. "I thought Rafa played well from start to finish," Federer said. "It was a tough match physically as well. Im disappointed, but its only the beginning of the season. Im feeling all right, so its OK." When the often enthralling play was suspended for 10 minutes late in the second set for an Australian Day fireworks display, Federer seemed to be affected most. Nadal led 5-2 at the time, and Federer lost his serve in the next game to give the Spaniard the set. In all, the Swiss dropped 11 points in a row. "Its tough, its not helpful, thats for sure," Federer said of the break for the fireworks. "They told us before, so it was no surprise. But I knew it was a lot of points in a row that I lost." The capacity, 15,000-strong crowd was evenly split in its support, with the names seeming to blur after the R in rival chants. Each time somebody called out for Rafa, it was met by a response for Roger. The cheers were just as loud for Nadals scrambling, sometimes astonishing, passing shots as for Federers deft winners. With the players on serve in the second set, Nadal went so far wide on a Federer return that he was near the side wall of the arena. Incredibly, he stretched wide and returned the ball crosscourt for a winner. That set up three break points and Nadal clinched the game to take a 4-2 lead in the second set. Federer saved a set point in the 11th game of the third set that eventually forced a tiebreaker. But Federer made three unforced errors in the tiebreaker to give Nadal a 6-1 lead, and the Spaniard eventually clinched the set on his last opportunity of five set points. "Please win the point, thats all," Nadal recalled when asked what he was telling himself. "I was very, very nervous at that moment. Losing four set points in a row is tough, especially when you play the toughest in history." Kim Clijsters was in the crowd, only hours after her title defence ended. And Ivan Lendl was at Rod Laver Arena for a second night, scouting opponents again as Murrays coach. So were former Australian greats Laver and Ken Rosewall. cheap china jerseys . Now he can be had by any team willing to pay his salary. According to a report from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shopping the veteran CB and plan on releasing him Wednesday if they cant find a trade partner. wholesale jerseys . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It was one of the most spectacular plays of a dreary season for the Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond knocked a pass away near midcourt, took off toward the basket and threw down an emphatic one-handed dunk while being fouled by Atlantas Elton Brand. "I knew I didnt have a chance," Brand said. Drummonds dunk propelled the Pistons to a 115-107 win over the Hawks on Friday night that snapped Detroits three-game losing streak and handed Atlanta its eighth straight loss. The Hawks shot 17 of 20 from the field during a 41-point second quarter, but the Pistons rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit. "We came together at halftime. We asked each other if we really want this," Drummond said. "We looked each other in the eyes as men and we all came together and decided we wanted to do this. So we came out firing." Atlanta was without guard Jeff Teague, who was out with a sprained ankle. Al Horford was lost for the season in December with a torn pectoral muscle. Paul Millsap had 23 points for the Hawks. "We had that huge second quarter, but they must have gotten a huge pep talk at halftime, because they really came out for the third with a lot of energy," Atlantas Kyle Korver said. Drummonds dunk on Brand gave the Pistons a 93-88 lead with 10:00 to play. Brand was a good sport about it, smiling a bit and even appearing to look up at the scoreboard for a replay. Drummond finished 10 of 11 from the field, but the Hawks finally started fouling him intentionally. The Detroit big man finished 0 for 8 on free throws, and the Pistons eventually took him out for the final 3:40. "Obviously, were trying to get back into the game, and it helped," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We didnt score every time that we tried it, but it gave us a chance. It also helps that hes a great young player and we got him off the floor for a couple minutes." It was tied at 104 when Detroits Kyle Singler made a 3-poinnter from the right wing, and Will Bynum doubled the lead with a driving three-point play with 1:06 to go. cheap nfl jerseys china. A 3-pointer by Singler with 30 seconds left made it 113-106. Greg Monroe had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, who stood pat at the trade deadline Thursday. Detroit is now 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta and Charlotte, who are in a virtual tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks looked unstoppable on offence in the second quarter, scoring at will while going the entire period without a turnover. But the Pistons outscored Atlanta 34-20 in the third. It wasnt a perfect second half by any means for Detroit, but the Pistons did show some urgency. Brandon Jennings, who was having a poor shooting game for Detroit, was fouled twice while shooting 3-pointers. After Jennings missed badly from 3-point range, Josh Smith blocked Millsap at the other end, and Jennings was waiting behind the defence for a layup that gave the Pistons an 82-79 lead. "We made two or three hustle plays that winning teams make," Detroit interim coach John Loyer said. "Two and three bodies on the floor, couple guys going out of bounds. You guys all watch the NBA. The better teams do that." Jennings finished with 12 points and 14 assists, although he didnt play at all in the fourth. Detroit went with Bynum instead, and he finished with nine points and seven assists. "Brandon is a scorer. Brandon has been a great facilitator for us," Loyer said. "He started to attack in the third quarter and Will came in and finished it. Thats what teammates do." NOTES: Atlanta shot 85 per cent in the second quarter, one of the top marks for one quarter in the NBA this season. Denver shot 87 per cent (13 for 15) in the fourth quarter at Toronto on Dec. 1, according to STATS. ... The Pistons outscored the Hawks 66-34 in the paint. ... Kyle Korver was 2 for 4 from 3-point range, extending his NBA record to 123 consecutive games with a 3. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '