The Czech seventh seed insisted ahead of the match that the imposing statistic meant little and he came out of the blocks firing, winning 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) despite a mini Nadal revival in the third set. PHOTO: AFP
The out-of-sorts Spaniard, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, was never in contention against a player he had beaten the last 17 times they met, a run stretching back to 2006.
The Czech seventh seed insisted ahead of the match that the imposing statistic meant little and he came out of the blocks firing, winning 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) despite a mini Nadal revival in the third set.
"I was definitely ready for it and set up my plan pretty well and I stuck with that through those three sets," said Berdych, who also made the semis last year, losing to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka.
The upset pits him against Andy Murray for a place in the final, with the experienced British sixth seed a step too far for brash Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios, who lost 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
Nadal had no excuses, admitting he played ‘a very bad’ match. "I am not very happy because I didn't compete the way I wanted to compete in the first two sets and that's something that I don't like," he said.
In contrast to Nadal's lacklustre performance, the experienced Sharapova dominated young Canadian pretender Bouchard to set up an all-Russian semi-final with dark horse Ekaterina Makarova.
The world number two, who could claim the top ranking from arch-rival Serena Williams if she wins the title, showed her intent by breaking the seventh seed in the first game of the match and never looked back.
Billed as a Glam Slam showdown between two of the game's most marketable women, an intense Sharapova was all business in the crushing 6-3, 6-2 win.
She now faces Makarova, who raced through her match against third seed Simona Halep, thrashing the more-fancied Romanian 6-4, 6-0.
Murray not taking Berdych for granted
Murray, a three-time runner up at Melbourne Park, was too composed for Kyrgios but said he was taking nothing for granted against Berdych.
"Maybe I won't play well in a couple of days; maybe I play great. I don't know," he said. "But I've given myself a good opportunity again, and hopefully I can use it to my advantage."
Murray grabbed three breaks and only conceded a service break deep in the final set to underline his dominance over the 53rd-ranked Kyrgios.
He hit 48 winners and just 28 unforced errors, while serving 13 aces and winning 80 percent of his first serves.
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