Li ends Bouchard spell * It’s Federer vs Nadal today
MELBOURNE: Stanislas Wawrinka will bid to break the Big Four’s strangle-hold on Grand Slam silverware after edging Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) in a serving war on Thursday to reach the Australian Open final.
In a slow-burning contest that occasionally roared to life, the Swiss eighth seed stepped up on big points on a tense night at Rod Laver Arena, reaching his first major final where he will meet either compatriot Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
In the women’s draw, Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova will join Wawrinka as a first-timer to a Grand Slam final when she meets China’s Li Na in the title match on Saturday.
With only a single break of serve in the entire match, Wawrinka upped the ante in the decisive tiebreak, earning three match points when his opponent pushed a serve long.
Wawrinka closed out the match with a monster 214 kmph serve that whistled into Berdych’s body, sparking a huge roar from the centre court crowd.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. It’s amazing,” Wawrinka said in a courtside interview after throwing a triumphant stare at his player’s box and pointing to his head.
“I’m working every day to try to win matches, I didn’t expect to make a final in a Grand Slam so I’m just really happy.”
The win continued Wawrinka’s fairytale run at Melbourne Park, having sensationally ended Novak Djokovic’s three-year reign in a five-set quarterfinal classic.
Wawrinka faced Berdych with queries over his fitness but was switched on from the start, and struck the first blow by breaking the seventh seed in the eighth game.
With neither player giving any quarter on serve, the next set went to a tiebreak, where Berdych, having been largely outplayed in the rallies, played brilliantly.
Having brushed off bigger setbacks against Djokovic, Wawrinka returned to the court pumped up and another tiebreak arrived, with Berdych’s serve promptly crumbled. A double-fault handed Wawrinka a crucial mini-break, and a second the set.
Digging in for another set riven with tension, Berdych’s defiance began to grate on Wawrinka, who began to labour on serve and snipe at the chair umpire over close line calls.
But the Swiss composed himself in the final tiebreak, charging to a 4-1 lead after Berdych double-faulted and the Swiss coolly took the second of his match points to set a date for the biggest contest of his life.
Earlier, Li steamrolled the rising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard 6-2, 6-4 to continue her stellar form at Melbourne Park where she has now reached three finals, as well as another semifinal and the fourth round over the past five years.
After an agonising defeat to Victoria Azarenka in last year’s decider, when she dramatically twice rolled her ankle and briefly blacked out, she is desperate to go one better.
“It is the third time, so pretty close to the trophy,” the 31-year-old said, after teaching the ultra-confident Bouchard, 19, a tennis lesson. “At least I’ll try to not fall down this time, because last year in the final I think I played well but I only can say (I was) unlucky because I fell down twice.”
She will go into Saturday’s showdown a clear favourite against Cibulkova, the tournament’s surprise package, after crushing fifth seed Agniezska Radwanska 6-1, 6-2.
The 20th seed was in inspired form against the Pole, who said she was exhausted after ending Victoria Azarenka’s title defence in three sets on Wednesday.
It ensured Cibulkova not only made her first Grand Slam final in 26 attempts, but also goes down in the history books as the first singles player from her country to get so far.
“I had so many thoughts in my head (during the match) but just focused on my game. I can’t believe I’m in a final,” she said.
“Li is a great player, someone I really looked up to when I was a junior and I just want to go out there and enjoy it.” (Agencies)