Ferrer then traveled to Melbourne to play in the 2011 Australian Open, where he was seeded seventh. In the first round, he defeated Jarkko Nieminen, and next defeated Michael Russell in the second round. He then defeated Ričardas Berankis for a spot in the round of 16, where he then defeated Milos Raonic for a spot in his second Australian Open quarterfinal. He beat an injured world no. 1 Rafael Nadal for a spot in the semifinals, winning in three sets. This notably ended Nadal's quest to win four straight majors. He lost to fifth seed Andy Murray in the semifinal. With his run to the semifinals of the Australian Open, his ranking rose to world no. 6.