MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal completed a slate of throwback singles finals at the Australian Open, beating Grigor Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4, in a battle of 4 hours 56 minutes that started Friday evening and ended at 12:44 Saturday morning.
In Sunday’s final, Nadal, 30, will face his longtime rival Roger Federer, 35, a nostalgic counterpoint to the women’s championship match between Venus Williams, 36, and Serena Williams, 35. Nadal and Federer have not met in a Grand Slam final since the 2011 French Open.