Roger Federer held firm against a furious fightback from fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka, edging his former apprentice 7-5 6-3 1-6 4-6 6-3 in a Melbourne Park classic to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

On the same day the Williams sisters booked their place in the women's final, 35-year-old Federer continued the march of the veterans, becoming the oldest man to reach a grand slam final in nearly 40 years.

"Yes, it is real now. I can talk about playing in finals for the first time," Federer said on court. "I have been dodging that bullet for the last few days now talking about the next round and the next round but this is the last one. So I will leave it all out here in Australia and (even) if I cannot walk for another five months, I will give it all I have."

The Swiss master was rattled as fourth seed Wawrinka rose up to level the match but his opponent double-faulted to hand Federer the decisive break in the sixth game. Federer served out the match to love, setting up a chance for his 18th grand slam title against Rafa Nadal or Grigor Dimitrov.