Tennis-Ruthless Nadal sees off Tiafoe to cruise into last four

Tennis - Australian Open - Quarter-final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, January 22, 2019. Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning the match against Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. REUTERS/Aly Song

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal kept the flag flying for the old guard at the Australian Open with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over American Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday for a place in the semi-finals where he will meet another next generation player in Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal's match against Tiafoe, who turned 21 on Sunday, was billed as an intriguing clash of generations after Roger Federer's loss to Tsitsipas, but the second seed was ruthless as he reached the last four without dropping a set.