Rafael Nadal closer to Grand Slam record by beating Denis Shapovalov in fiery Australian Open match which saw umpire called corrupt and a racket smashed in five-set thriller

The quarter-finals of the Australian Open served up a classic as Rafael Nadal edged past Denis Shapovalov.

However, the Canadian star was less than pleased with some of the decisions from the match as he accused the umpire of 'corruption'.

6

The 20-time Grand Slam champion overcame Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 at Melbourne Park.

The incident occurred after the first set, in which the Canadian was unhappy with how long Nadal was taking to recover.

The 14th seed was feeling that the Spaniard was receiving special treatment and told chair umpire Carlos Bernardes: "You're looking at the clock so long ago and he's still not ready to play.

"You've got to code him."

6

6

The umpire, though, wasn't interested in Shapovalov's comments and insisted: "He's [Nadal] not ready to play."

The comment led to the outburst from the 22-year-old who was less than pleased with Bernardes' comment.

"Are you kidding me? You are all corrupt".

Nadal attempted to diffuse the situation by going to the net to talk to his opponent, as tension levels on the court quickly rose.

6

The drama eventually came to an end and play resumed in which Nadal overcame his opponent despite revealing he was dealing with stomach pains in the fourth set.

"I was completely destroyed. Very tough day, very warm. I didn't practice for it," the 35-year-old said.

"I was a little bit lucky at the beginning of the fifth. At the beginning of the match I was playing great but I know how difficult it is to play against a player like Denis.

"For me it's amazing to be in the semi-finals.

"I started to feel not very well in my stomach," said the sixth seed. "I think I was lucky that I was serving great in the fifth. It was a great test and I really believe I'm going to be ready for that semi-final."

6

Shapovalov's woes were compounded when he smashed his racket after the match point, to epitomise his frustration at a missed opportunity to claim a major scalp.

Should Nadal progress to the final, he will have to overcome either Italian Matteo Berrettini or Frenchman Gael Monfils in the last four.

The seventh seed Berrettini and 17th seed Monfils meet in their quarter-final later on Tuesday.

6