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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Happy For Wawrinka




Tomas Berdych v Stanislas Wawrinka
Tomas Berdych v Stanislas Wawrinka: who will go through to the final? Photograph: EPA / Getty
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Novak Djokovic has won the past three Australian Opens. What an achievement it would be to win four in a row. Many people expected him to do it. And then Stanislas Wawrinka tore up the script.
Truth be told, we're still trying to get our heads round Djokovic's absence from this semi-final. But like Wawrinka cares. What a performance it was from Stan the Man, who finally saw off his nemesis in five sets, having agonisingly lost to him in th Australian Open and the US Open last year. Yet he's been playing some terrific tennis for some time now; his backhand is as beautiful as ever, his forehand is venomous, his serve a major weapon and, most crucially, his movement has improved immeasurably. It's taken a while for Wawrinka to realise his potential bit what a treat it is to see him playing like this.
He'll have the support of the neutrals, no doubt. But like Tomas Berdych will care. Yes, there is another man in this semi-final. It's not all about Wawrinka, much as we'd like it to be. And tennis has a funny way of working sometimes - most wanted Sabine Lisicki to beat Marion Bartoli in the Wimbledon final and look what happened there. No one is talking about Berdych, who has gone about his business quietly, and that lack of pressure and expectation might suit a man who has plenty of experience of these situations. Wawrinka has more natural talent but Berdych, with that enormous wingspan and booming ground strokes, will be a dangerous foe if he gets into his long stride. This one is fascinatingly poised, then. Strap in. 
Play begins at: 8.30am
Updated 

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