Roger Federer is to play in his sixth Australian Open final, after a five-set win over Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in Melbourne.
The four-time champion took a two-set led in the semi-finals, before Wawrinka won two on the bounce, to force a deciding set. Federer won the match 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Having failed to win a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2012, Federer will go into Sunday's final as the favourite, against either Rafael Nadal or Grigor Dmitrov. The Swiss star has not played in an Australian Open final since 2010.
Federer won the first two sets, with a single break of serve in each, to look on course for the final. After the second set, Wawrinka took a medical timeout for a leg injury, and came back and won the next two sets.
HE'S DONE IT! #Federer through to the final! His first #AusOpen final in 7 years! pic.twitter.com/sT4qgvW09b
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2017
In the third, he broke Federer's serve on two occasions to win 6-1. A single break of serve in the fourth, sent the game to a final set. Like Wawrinka had done two sets earlier, Federer took a medical timeout to treat a leg issue, he revealed after the match had been bothering him all tournament.
The final set was a tight affair, with a poor service game by Wawrinka in the sixth game proving the difference. The loss of serve was compounded by a double-fault on break point. Federer comfortably served out his final two games to record a famous win.
After the match, he spoke about how he would love to meet Nadal in the final. The two men have met in seven Grand Slam finals with the Spaniard holding a 5-2 record. Nadal also won their only Australian Open final, in 2009.
Congratulations @rogerfederer #AusOpen 2017 finalist pic.twitter.com/eEansnTXUH
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2017
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