For the 3rd year running, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka squared off and for the 3rd year in a row, it went to 5 sets. After their last two epic encounters in Melbourne, it was no surprise that it again went the distance. However in the end, the match turned put to be a bit of a damp squib, with neither player playing anything like their best at all. Wawrinka by the conclusion, ran out of gas and Djokovic did just enough to see him into his 5th AO Final. The Serbian Machine will face long-time rival Andy Murray in the decider. He beat Murray beat in both the 2011 and 13 finals.
Australian Open 2015: MS Day 12 Fri, 2nd SF
(1) Djokovic bt (4) Wawrinka: 7-6 (7-1), 3-6,, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Everyone expected and even Novak and Stan did, that their latest match down under, would yet again go the full 5 sets. That’s precisely what the Melbourne crowd were treated to, even if it ended on a dead note.
Djokovic in recent years has ruled the roost in Australian, winning 4 of the last 5 events, including 3 in a row from 2011-2013. ‘Stan the Man’, ended his streak, when he of course memorably beat the Serb in a marathon 5 setter, in the quarters last year.
The opening set unsurprisingly went to a tie-break, where Novak cruised through to win by 7-1. Wawrinka then hit back in the 2nd, to break Djokovic and seal the 2nd by 6-3.
The 3rd was a nervy and tight affair, but Djokovic held thing together to take a 2 sets to 1 lead, claiming it 6-4.
in the 4th set, is where it got quite interesting, with Novak breaking early to go up 2-0. The powerful Swiss though managed to fight his way back, by breaking Djokovic and saving his own skin on 3 BPs. A few stunning one-handed backhands later and Wawrinka had levelled at 2 sets a piece by 6-4.
But then in the deciding set, it seemed Wawrinka ran out of energy and someone switched him off. Despite having the chance to break Djokovic in the opening game, he fell away and fell away rather badly. His defence going up in a puff of smoke in a matter of minutes, as Djokovic eased to victory with a bagel set.
The Ironman of tennis, will now have it all to do, when he faces off with his arch-protagonist- Andy Murray. The two alpha-males have faced off in 4 Grand Slam Finals, with Djokovic winning the Australian Open in 2011 and 2013 and Murray beating him at the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013. Djokovic’s game is better suited to the harsh-humid and hot conditions of the Melbourne courts and will go into the final as a slight favourite, given his astounding recent record at the event. But discount the plucky Brit, who will no doubt want to end his AO Final drought and add to his legacy.
World Tennis News:
All Things Tennis- from Hamza Shakeel 