Czech, Tomas Berdych ended a 17-match losing streak against Rafael Nadal as he outplayed the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. The Czech, seeded seventh, won 6-2 6-0 7-6 (7-5) and will face Andy Murray (who beat Nick Kyrgios) in the last four. Berdych, 29, began working with Murray’s former coach Dani Vallverdu at the end of 2014. An 18th successive defeat by third seed Nadal would have set a new record for men’s tennis. “It feels great,” said Berdych. “The really good thing is the plan that we put together was the right one. “Everything was working. I was able to execute it really well. But still, until the last point you can’t think about anything else. “When it’s done, it’s done. It’s great. I might be think about it and enjoy the time until tomorrow morning. When I wake up, I need to get myself ready for another one. There is a still long way to go in this tournament and I need to be ready for it.” Nine years after his last victory against the 14-time Grand Slam champion, Berdych took full advantage of an opponent struggling desperately to find his game. Nadal, 28, was playing only his 12th match since Wimbledon last summer, and his first against a top-10 opponent since he beat Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in June. He insisted there had been no physical issues, saying it was “just not my day”, but added: “You cannot expect to win matches in quarter-finals of a Grand Slam helping the opponent to play well. “That’s what I did the first two sets. From the beginning of the third, I played with more character. “More the way that I have to play to be where I want to be, where I have been for the last lot of years.”