French excitement machine Jo-Wilfried Tsonga destroyed Rafael Nadal on Thursday night with an awesome mix of power and finesse to become the latest tennis no-name to gatecrash the Australian Open.

Continuing an almost annual tradition these days at the Open, Tsonga swept past Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 in less than two hours to join the likes of Fernando Gonzalez, Marcos Baghdatis, Rainer Schuettler, Thomas Johansson and Arnaud Clement as a shock finalist at Melbourne Park.

Ranked 38th in the world to Nadal's second, the 22-year-old Muhammad Ali lookalike will play either two-time defending champion Roger Federer or Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic in Sunday night's final.

And he will believe anything is possible after his dream fortnight in Melbourne where he has brutally pummelled world top-tenners Nadal, Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet and 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny into absolute submission.

"Both of them have two legs and two arms like me. I'll do my best," Tsonga said, repeating the mantra he has used before all his big matches this campaign.

Runner-up in the junior event to Baghdatis in 2003, the injury-plagued Tsonga had not won a solitary match at the Open as a professional before this year.

But he has dropped just two sets all tournament and was simply devastating against Nadal, inflicting the triple French Open champion with his heaviest defeat of his grand slam career.

"It's unbelievable. Three sets is just amazing. I don't know what to say," Tsonga said.

"Today I played unbelievable. Nothing could stop me today. I am just happy. It's like a dream."

In a near flawless display, Tsonga broke Nadal four times, was barely troubled on his own serve, thundered down 17 aces and clubbed 19 cold-blooded winners to complement another 15 winners at the net, most with the deftest of touch.

He broke Nadal's very first service game of the match en route to flying through the opening set in 32 minutes, seizing early control with a second break - this one to love - in the eighth game.

Nadal fought tooth and nail to stay with Tsonga in the second set until the Frenchman broke him again with a booming forehand and slam-dunk smash to forge a 5-3 advantage.

He then blasted three straight aces and nailed another forehand winner to take a two-sets-to-love stranglehold on the match.

His performance stunned two-time Open champion Jim Courier.

"Absolute physical domination out here," Courier said from his Channel Seven courtside bunker.

There was no let up in the third set, Tsonga breaking the triple champion's serve twice more and fittingly firing down an ace on match point after one hour and 57 minutes of explosive tennis.

Tsonga later admitted he had never produced such high-quality tennis in his life - ever.

"It's ridiculous," he said.

A shellshocked Nadal conceded he had no answer to Tsonga's onslaught, saying there was "nothing" wrong with his own game.

"We have to accept today. He played unbelievable," the Spaniard said.

"Some volleys, I can't believe some volleys. I have some good passing shots and then drop-shot volley. I didn't understand.

"I try to play my best, I tried to play little bit slower, I tried to play a little bit faster, I tried to play more inside the court, behind the court. No chance. Not today. Maybe next time." Nadal had no doubt Tsonga could beat Federer or Djokovic in his current form, but questioned whether he would handle the pressure in his maiden grand slam final.

In a sign of his growing confidence, though, Tsonga said it would be hard for Federer or Djokovic to apply too much pressure if he sustained his remarkable level.

"If I win in three sets, it's perfect," he said.

"If it's four sets, we will see (if I get nervous). If it's five, maybe it's going to be the same.

"Maybe I will lose. Maybe I will win. I don't know.

"But now I'm in final and I can win. We are both on the court, so one is the winner."

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