Roger Federer has defeated Stan Wawrinka 7-5 6-3 1-6 4-6 6-3 to keep his dream run going in Melbourne.
Federer has made it into his first Grand Slam final since 2015 by defeating Wawrinka in a classic match inside the Rod Laver arena.
Having gone two sets up playing close to his best tennis, Federer saw Wawrinka fight his way back into the match as the 17-time Slam winner saw his rhythm falter.
Having been plagued by recent injuries and away from the game for six months, you could have been forgiven for thinking the advantage was with Wawrinka going into the fifth set. It is a remarkable achievement that Federer has even made it as far as he has in this tournament, considering his long lay off.
The older of the two Swiss giants of the game was able to hold his nerve though, and having fended off break points in the third and fifth games of the final set, he made the crucial break through in the sixth game that allowed him to win the match.
Thoughts will now turn to the final, with the 35 year-old Federer looking to win his 18th Slam title. His opponent is still to be decided, with Nadal and Dimitrov playing tomorrow. It is no disprect to say that the final the majority of people want is Federer against Nadal, which would be their first Slam final against each other since the French Open in 2011.
That match would also throw up an intriguing side-story for the history of tennis. Nadal is currently on 14 Grand Slams, while Federer is on 17. If Nadal wins he will cut that cap to two, with the French Open coming up in May. If the dream final was to come to pass, the battle to win the most Slam titles in history will well and truly be on.
In any case, having been 25/1 and 18/1 respectively, both Federer and Nadal have undoubtedly defied the odds and a final between the two would the perfect end to a remarkable tournament.
