MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic once again stood tall at the Australian Open as he reached his fourth final in the past five years with another five-set victory over Stan Wawrinka, the man who dumped him out of Melbourne Park last year.

Djokovic, bidding to become the first man to win five Australian Open titles since the game went professional in 1968, ran hot and cold but seized the points that mattered on Friday to beat the defending champion 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

“As it was the case in the last two years we played five sets and I was ready for the battle,” Djokovic said.
“We pushed each other to the limit. “Stan is a quality player. I made my life very complicated on the court.”

The Serb world number one’s life will not get any easier on Sunday when he faces old friend Andy Murray, with the Briton looking to win his first Melbourne Park title in his fourth final.

Wawrinka had steadfastly refused to be drawn into comparisons to his grand slam tilt last year by sticking to a mantra, ‘this is a new year, nothing in the past counts for today or tomorrow’.

Aware the result of Friday’s match could mean there was no tomorrow this year at Melbourne Park, on his march to Rod Laver Arena his eyes searched for the large picture of himself that is the most recent in the ‘Walk of Champions’. Symbolism, and history, were not on Wawrinka’s side.

Djokovic’s picture occupies all three of the spots before his and the Swiss had won just three of their 19 previous encounters. The past two at Melbourne Park, however, had been modern day epics.

Both went to five sets with the winner then going on to clinch the title and anticipation had been high for ‘The Djoker v the Man 3.0’.

On Friday, the standard of play was not as high as in the past, indeed Djokovic was atypically enigmatic and lacking in vigour, though there were flashes of genius, with both applauding shots that were simply too good for their opponent.

Statistically little separated the pair, but the points Djokovic won were more crucial, especially early in the fifth set that allowed him to break twice and race through the decider.

Earlier, American Bethanie Mattek-Sands won her second Australian Open doubles title after she and Lucie Safarova combined to beat China’s Zheng Jie and her Taiwanese partner Chan Yung-jan.

Mattek-Sands won the mixed doubles title at Melbourne Park with Romania’s Horia Tecau in 2012, but it was her first grand slam women’s doubles title.

They beat four seeded pairs on their way to the final, before they secured the title with a 6-4 7-6(5) victory over the 14th seeds.

Meanwhile, Martina Hingis and Leander Paes turned back the clock to make the Australian Open mixed doubles final, where they will face third seeds Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic.

The veteran campaigners, seeded seven, drew on their considerable experience to overcome Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei and Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-5, 6-4.

Nestor and Mladenovic downed India’s Sania Mirza and Brazil’s Bruno Soares, the top seeds.

Hingis, the holder of five Grand Slam singles titles and 10 major doubles crowns — nine women’s and one mixed — came out of six years’ retirement last year.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2015

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