Andy Murray proves he’s the real deal but it’s a desperate day for Rafael Nadal

Since returning from his long absence with tendinitis in both knees, Nadal's record against other top-10 players has been atrocious, his confidence hideously depleted. He was not expected to beat the Scot. Nor would he even without the injury that foreshortened the match.

But enough of the moroseness. Who wants to read a misery guts when we should be celebrating like the Aussies, who curiously chose the early stages of the second set to detonate their Australia Day fireworks (entirely our mistake for letting the buggers have their independence in the first place). On the court, the fireworks had already almost concluded.

The opening to the match was full of whizz, bang and sparkle as the two went for each other with haymakers.

It didn't require the presence of Ricky Hatton in the Murray box to remind us that tennis at this level is boxing's closest psychological sporting cousin.

It is all about imposing the will on the opponent, and it took Murray a while to do so. Indeed he went an early break down as Nadal started like the tornado of old.

The moment Murray found his focus midway through the set, however, it was instantly apparent that he had the beating of a muted, subdued and almost gelded Spanish bull.

Just as he did against Nadal in the US Open semi-final of 2008, and in this tournament three years ago, Murray abandoned his reliance on subtle variations, and sought to dominate with aggressive ground strokes. It worked beautifully. Mixing up his play perfectly, he broke back, held from 0-40 down on his own serve, and then broke again. With tungsten nerve, he served out for the first set, and with Nadal casting unwontedly bemused glances up at Uncle Toni in his box he looked the certain winner.

Murray's only Henmaniacal weakness is a tendency to relax after securing a close set. It undid him in last year's French Open against Fernando Gonzales, and briefly threatened to do so here in the second set once the fireworks had concluded. Again he was the first to lose serve, as he allowed himself to be dragged into long rallies of the sort that favour Nadal.

Again he nonchalantly shrugged off the reverse, and broke back. By now Nadal was only playing well when in danger of being broken himself, when pure instinct took over and the weight of self-doubt was lifted. Fearlessly, he saved break points at 5-5, but he all but disintegrated in the tie break, and gave not the faintest hint that he thought he could win the match.

Trailing 0-3 in the third, the towel came in, but even a fit Rafa had no prospect of turning this match around against a calm, authoritative and vastly impressive Murray. Whether those knees of his will ever fully recover no one really knows, and it will be a grievous blow to tennis if this historic talent is effectively finished at 23.

Murray, though just a year younger, is still a work in progress. He needs that Grand Slam breakthrough to slake the national craving and lift the crushing expectation from his shoulders, and he has a very decent chance of doing so on Sunday.Yet to drop a set in the event, he could not be fresher, whereas his semi-final opponent Marin Cilic endured a draining five set quarter-final against Andy Roddick earlier this morning. Cilic beat Murray in New York last year. But the Scot is quick to learn from failure.

The tempting of fate is never wise in the context of British tennis and we have been punished for daring to hope too often before. Yet there is a sense of an internal dynamic here driving Murray towards an epic showdown on Sunday with Roger Federer. His path to the final looks tough, and whoever makes it from his side of the draw will be more fatigued than Murray. This event is his for the taking now, if he only has the ruthlessness to grab it.