Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. AP FILE PHOTO
MELBOURNE — Stanislas Wawrinka backed up his upset of four-time champion Novak Djokovic by reaching his first Grand Slam final with a 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4) win over Tomas Berdych in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday.
Wawrinka ended a 14-match losing streak against Djokovic with a dramatic five-set win in the quarterfinals, then followed that with a dominating performance against Berdych, the 2010 Wimbledon finalist.
Wawrinka will meet the winner of Friday’s semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the 33rd installment of their rivalry and the first at a Grand Slam since Nadal beat Federer in the Australian Open semifinals in 2012.
Whoever he plays, Wawrinka will be the underdog. He has never won against Nadal in 12 meetings and has beaten Federer once in 14 matches.