Jo-Wilfried Tsonga swung for the fences, and everything went in.
"It is just amazing, unbelievable, nothing could stop me today," Tsonga said. "I tried to hit everything and everything went in, so what can I say?"
The unseeded Frenchman supplied the shocker of the
Australian Open Thursday, dismantling world No. 2
Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first tournament final.
The 22-year-old will now face either
Roger Federer or
Novak Djokovic in the final.
"We have to accept today he played unbelievable," Nadal said. "Playing the ball very hard every time, serving unbelievable. In the backhand he didn't miss not one. Forehand, every time he does the forehand was a winner, so congratulate him. That's it."
Tsonga threw down 17 aces and 49 winners, breaking Nadal's serve five times against none.
Tsonga's run over the last two weeks has also included wins over
Andy Murray,
Richard Gasquet, and
Mikhail Youzhny. He is the first French Aussie Open finalist since
Arnaud Clement in 2001.
On Friday, Federer will battle Djokovic, who he is 5-1 lifetime against.
