(CNN) — This time there was no escape for Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open.
The 14-time grand slam winner rallied to beat unheralded qualifier Tim Smyczek in five sets in the second round but he couldn’t come back against a better opponent, Tomas Berdych, in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
Berdych crushed Nadal 6-2 6-0 7-6 (5) thanks to a fine display of power tennis to end a 17-match losing streak against the Spaniard. One of those losses came in the 2010 Wimbledon final.
Earlier Tuesday, Maria Sharapova set up a semifinal duel with fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova when she eased past Eugenie Bouchard 6-3 6-2 and 10th-seed Makarova upset third-seed Simona Halep 6-4 6-0.