Right OK its time for my look at the men's semi finals from the Australian open in Melbourne, which saw three grand slam champs and one semi finalist duke it out for a place in the final. So how did the matches go??? Well let's find out....
Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka
First up was the hugely anticipated all Swiss semi final between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka as the two men looked to put on what promised to be a real classic encounter. And the match itself thankfully did not disappoint as both men put on an excellent clash for the packed Rod Laver arena crowd.
As for how the match unfolded well it started with a tight first set until 6-5 when Roger broke Stan who was serving to take things into a tiebreak and in the 2nd set, Roger started to stamp his authority on the match as he swiftly broke Stan to take a two set lead and looked to be on cruise control for the final. However in the 3rd set after Stan took a medical timeout for his knee, Roger started to lose concentration, which let Stan back into the match and he went on to break the Maestro three times to take the 3rd to keep himself alive in the match. And in the 4th set, things were a bit closer but Stan again managed to break Roger's serve to take the match into a decider. And in the 5th set, Roger reasserted himself and pinched a crucial break of serve as Stan double faulted to hand his good friend a 4-2 lead. So it wasn't long before Roger did what was expected of him and that is seal the match on his own serve to love to reach his 28th grand slam final and his 6th at the Aussie Open with a remarkable 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 win.
Well this was for the most part an excellent match with plenty of great points from both men although it was slightly hampered by both men's injury time-outs, which left each player at a disadvantage at different times in the match. However for the majority of the match it was great stuff and Roger once again showed just why he is the greatest player to have played the game as he just keeps coming back time and time again from injury stronger than ever. And with this kind of determination you just have to think that Rog's elusive 18th grand slam is just around the corner.
As for Stan, well he will no doubt be disappointed that he lost this match given that he had a good shout having levelled it and pushed Roger all the way to a decider. Regardless of this though, Stan should still take much encouragement from his efforts in the match and in the tournament and given that he has won a major per year since 2014, you'd imagine there's bound to another one this season with his name on it.
Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov
Next is the second semi final, which saw Rafael Nadal take on Grigor Dimitrov in what promised to be quite an intruiging encounter. But this match did not just live up to its expectations, it totally surpassed them as both men played one of the greatest matches seen in recent years at the Australian open.
And to get more into the specifics of the match, it started with Rafa getting off to the stronger start as he broke Dimitrov to take the opening set. In the 2nd set however, both men traded breaks of serve with Dimitrov at 5-3 with a chance to serve it out but Rafa broke back again before Grigor broke him to take the second set and level the match. In the 3rd set, both men settled down on serve and play went to a thrilling tiebreak, which saw Rafa take the lead and the two sets to one advantage. In the 4th set, the high quality continued from both guys and play yet again was pushed to a breaker and this time Grigor took the tiebreak to push the match into a decider. And in the 5th set the level of play did not falter for one bit as both men didn't give an inch and Grigor pushed Rafa to the very limit with chances to break him but he didn't quite take them. However in the end it was Rafa that put the match to bed as he broke Dimitrov at 4-4 and served out a final edgy game that saw him reach his 4th Australian open final with a stunning 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory.
Well we are only four weeks into the new year so far but already this match was one of the best of the season (if not the best!) as both men raised their games to unprecedented heights and played mind blowing tennis for the enthralled crowd at Rod Laver arena. And it was such a good match that it was a pity that one man had to lose given the sheer effort both of them put into it.
And it was also testament as to just how resilient a competitor Rafa really is when it comes to the big matches and when he is playing at his best, he is mighty tough to beat as this level of form has been missing from him for some time. But given how he has played so far and grit and determination Rafa has shown its fair possibility that he will go on to win this title but I'll say more about that in a bit.
As for Dimitrov well no doubt he will be gutted with this loss as it was a real tough one to lose given how well he played but its a match that will have won him plenty of fans and if he continues on this path then surely Grigor will not before long, lift a major title himself. It should also hopefully see Grigor propel himself closer to the top 10 although I'm not sure how far up he will go in the rankings as a result of his efforts down under but there is not much doubt that he will be back in the top 10 in no time.
MEN'S FINAL THOUGHTS
Right so this now brings my attention onto the men's final on Sunday, which is now set and it sees the old dogs, Roger and Rafa go at it again and let's face it I don't imagine there were too many of us out there thinking this final would have happened this year but it has. And for many it will be a real treat to see two of the great legends in the game go at it once more in a grand slam final as its been six years since they last met in a final as Rafa defeated Roger in the French open that year.
So this all begs the big question....who will win???? Well let's take a look at this one....
Well its going to be a tough call as both men have had to effectively play themselves into form in this tournament as they have recently just come back from injury and against each other its going to difficult to guage who will come out on top at this stage. And this would have been easier to predict in the past given that Rafa in the slams has dominated Roger, who has failed to beat Rafa in a slam match for 10 years now, when they were playing week in, week out, Rafa's healthy head to head record over him would make this easier to pick.
But regardless of this, its a match that could be won by either man and to look at Roger's chances first, well he certainly has the two days rest advantage as Rafa will only have one thanks to the ruling at the Aussie open where the first winning semi-finalist get's to play on a Thursday and the second on a Friday. And given that Roger was showing signs of wearing in his match with Stan as he was forced to take a medical timeout for his leg, the extra recovery time will help him going into the final. However Roger will need to still be on his guard with Rafa, who could end up grinding Roger down and forcing him into longer rallies, so it will be up to Rog to try and keep the points shorter to conserve his energies and serve very well. It might also be of some consideration that Roger also beat Rafa in their previous meeting in the Swiss Indoors final in Basel so he could certainly keep that victory in mind going into this match.
As for Rafa, well he is at a disadvantage going into this match having played a gruelling near five hour match against Dimitrov, which could no doubt leave him pretty sapped when he plays Roger in the final. However Rafa's dominant 24-11 head to head record over his old rival is one that is well worth taking into consideration here as Rafa for the most part has really bossed Roger in most of their previous recent meetings. But its also worth considering that Rafa has struggled with his form over the last two years or so with injury and also a lack of confidence and its only really just recently that he has rekindle some of that old magic that he had in abundance. So Rafa here will need to try and keep up with Roger on his service games and then start to boss the match with his forehand if he can and if he can get into Roger's head as the match goes on then here is sure to win.
FINAL PREDICTION
So as for my prediction.....well........I have to go....... with...... (sorry!)
Well....I have to go with Rafa on this one because I feel that even though he will be left at a disadvantage of having just one day's rest before the final, as opposed to Roger's two, it still might not change the outcome. And in the past we've seen Roger get off to a strong start against Rafa and before we knew it, Rafa would start to work his way into the match and start to boss and dominate his old rival and I think this could happen here. And I certainly think Roger will come out firing with maybe Rafa being a bit slow out of the blocks but ultimately I don't think it will last as sooner or later Rafa's grit will fire him up and see him through.
So for my final prediction I think Rafa will win his 2nd Australian open title in four or maybe five sets and put him within two of equalling Roger's record of 17 majors. I might be wrong of course and it would be nice to see Roger win his first slam in five years but in the end I still think Rafa will be the man that comes out on top but we'll see. But whatever happens it promises to be a real cracker and hopefully one of the best matches of the season (well you can but hope!).
SIGN OFF
Right so that's it for now and I will be back soon once the final results for the men and ladies finals are through. And it has to be said this really has been a tournament that has rolled back the years with the Williams sisters in a major final for the first time since 2009 and Roger and Rafa making their appearance together for the first time since 2011 too. So let's hope both matches will live up to their billing!
So until next time, its bye for now!
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