MELBOURNE, Australia -- It was just an incredible few hours, starting Friday night and ending at nearly 1 a.m. local time on Saturday. Rafael Nadal displayed all the fight that has carried him to 14 Grand Slam titles, with a memorable performance in the Australian Open semifinals to beat Grigor Dimitrov. The match lasted nearly five hours. Rafa's reward? Another date with Roger Federer in a Grand Slam final (3 a.m. ET, Saturday, on ESPN and the ESPN App).
Nadal's triumph wasn't the only marathon of this fortnight. Here's a look at the six matches that have all exceeded the four-hour threshold.
No. 20 Ivo Karlovic def. Horacio Zeballos 6-7 (6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-10, first round (5 hours, 15 minutes)
What an amazing story to kick off the Aussie Open. Not only did Karlovic come back from a two-set deficit, and not only did he and Zeballos break the Australian Open record by sweating through 84 games in near-100-degree heat, but the Croatian walloped 75 aces, the most ever at this event and the fourth most ever in an ATP match. "This is what I will, after my career, remember," Karlovic said afterward.
No. 9 Rafael Nadal def. No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4, semifinals (4 hours, 56 minutes)
Look no further than Rafa's reaction when Dimitrov mercifully overcooked a backhand a few inches past the baseline. Nadal collapsed onto his back and immediately spoke of his hope to recover in time against Federer. Like Nadal, the Swiss played two five-set matches, making it the first time in 20 years at any major that both finalists have played two five-set matches along the way. (The time before this, coincidentally, happened here in Melbourne, when Pete Sampras beat Nadal's new coach, Carlos Moya, in the final.) "Here I am," Nadal said succinctly in his on-court interview. "I feel lucky."
Denis Istomin def. No. 2 Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, second round (4 hours, 48 minutes)
This match started a string of madness in Melbourne. Istomin barely made it to the main draw as a wild card and came into the Aussie ranked No. 117. So naturally, he startled the six-time champion Djokovic Down Under. Istomin, who is coached by his mom, was only 1-32 against top-10 players before this bout. You have to go back seven years to find the last time Djokovic lost this early in a major.
Mischa Zverev def. No. 19 John Isner 6-7 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (7), 9-7, second round (4 hours, 10 minutes)
The older Zverev brother impossibly came back from a two-set deficit to win one of the most dramatic matches this year, yet no one -- outside of Isner -- will remember the German for this match. That's because two rounds later, he served-and-volleyed his way past world No. 1 Andy Murray. Ironically, for all the success Zverev had in Australia, he is largely overshadowed by his 19-year-old sibling, Alexander, who is considered a future elite player.
No. 9 Rafael Nadal def. No. 24 Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, third round (4 hours, 6 minutes)
Speaking of Alexander, he showed the tennis universe his incredible talent by narrowly losing to Nadal. If not for Zverev's legs cramping down the stretch, who knows how this match would have turned out. Said Nadal afterward, "[Zverev] has a big chance to become the future world No. 1, no? He has all the shots: great serve, great forehand, great backhand, everything. He's a complete player."
No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut def. No. 21 David Ferrer 7-5, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-4, third round (4 hours, 2 minutes)
Bautista Agut escaped this battle against his indomitable opponent, but he certainly did not leave this Round 3 clash unscathed. In the middle of the match, Bautista Agut made a beeline to the net to chase down a shot and ran into a ball boy. The kid was fine. As for Bautista Agut, he needed several minutes to collect himself.