Wawrinka marches into first Slam final

Stanislas Wawrinka will bid to break the ‘Big Four’ strangle-hold on grand slam silverware after edging Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in a serving war to reach the Australian Open final.

Wawrinka ended a 14-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic with a dramatic five-set, four-hour win in the quarter-finals, then followed that with a dominating performance against Berdych, the 2010 Wimbledon finalist.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless,” Wawrinka said. “I didn’t expect to make a final in a Grand Slam – tonight it’s happening.”

Wawrinka will meet the winner of Friday’s semi-final showdown between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the 33rd installment of their rivalry and the first at a Grand Slam since Nadal knocked Federer out of the Australian Open at the same stage in 2012.

Whoever he plays, Wawrinka will go into the final as an underdog – he has never won against Nadal in 12 meetings, and he has lost all but one of his 14 matches against his countryman, Federer.