MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rafael Nadal continued his dominant streak over Roger Federer to reach the Australian Open final for the third time, beating the … The five-time ATP winner was spared a third-round match in high heat when scheduled-opponent Vasek Pospisil was forced Whether by his own racket or some good old fashioned luck, Wawrinka is putting together a career run at the Australian Open, and it will certainly take a strong performance from Berdych to derail it.While his run to the Australian Open semifinals has been largely overshadowed by upsets and mayhem Down Under, few players have been as dominant during this fortnight as Berdych has.That strong form was on full display as Berdych essentially dominated David Ferrer on Tuesday, losing only five games in the first two sets before slipping up and losing the third set. Yet if he can’t quite square his sights on the matter at hand, it will be difficult to get past his familiar Czech Republic foe.That said, Wawrinka has never reached a Slam final before and the significant potential of getting there this time around should have his attention squarely fixed on Berdych with Djokovic a distant image in his rear-view mirror.For his part, Berdych has now reached the semifinals in How the Czech native handles that pressure, and just how dialed in Wawrinka will be, are the key components to how the semifinal match will play out.Assuming his head is in the game, Wawrinka enters Thursday’s semifinal against Berdych riding a wave of momentum and with all the confidence needed to realize his first-ever trip to a Grand Slam final.The 28-year-old has been playing some of the best tennis of his life during the past year and seems to have put it all together during this trip Down Under. His powerful ground strokes have been dominant from both sides and his serve has kept opponents off balance during the entire championship.It’s a form he’ll need to maintain if he hopes to push past Wawrinka; but given his consistency during the championship, there’s little reason to doubt another strong effort from Berdych.With less than 48 hours to move past the biggest victory of his career, Wawrinka will be challenged to get his focus squarely on Berdych after his five-set thriller against Djokovic.If he can do it, the Swiss player should be the favorite to win on Thursday. He rebounded to close out the match 6-4 in the fourth to earn his first Australian Open semifinal.Like his upcoming opponent, Berdych has been solid in just about every facet of the game. Li Na defeated Dominika Cibulková in the final, 7–6 (7–3), 6–0 to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 2014 Australian Open.Li became the first Asian Australian Open champion and sixth woman to win the title after being match point down (in the third round against Lucie Šafářová). "And the prospect of beating Chinese veteran Li Na in the final ..."She is a great player. Last updated on 21 January 2014 21 January 2014. Avatar Roar Guru . It's how I play. More importantly, the 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 victory sends the talented Swiss netter to a semifinal date with Berdych, who is making an unexpected run of his own in Melbourne.Berdych defeated No. By James Brady @JamesBradySBN Jan 22, 2014, 2:01pm EST AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014: Results from men's and women's singles. Dominic Thiem made a significant breakthrough at the Australian Open on Wednesday night, upsetting World No. Teenager Eugenie Bouchard reached the Australian Open semi-finals with a 5-7 7-5 6-2 win over Ana Ivanovic.
In that same event, the two played against one another in an epic Berdych also owns the only previous contest between the two at the Australian Open, defeating Wawrinka in four sets during the third round of the 2009 competition despite dropping the first set 6-4. Provided his nerves stay as steady as they did in the quarterfinals, Wawrinka will be able to challenge his opponent’s serve with his strong return game, keeping the pressure on to create multiple break opportunities.Bottom line, having played against him four times in the past year, Wawrinka understands what Berdych will try to do against him, and simply needs to execute the same game plan he used in toppling Djokovic.The key, however, is not to get caught up in the memories of that quarterfinal match with so much riding on his next test against Berdych.Like Wawrinka, Berdych heads into the Australian semifinals full of confidence and playing his best tennis in years. Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in yet another five-set thriller on Tuesday, ending the Serbian’s three-year reign as Australian champion, and avenging his loss to him in last year’s round of 32 Down Under. It's my gift. Federer, who has reached his 11th consecutive semifinal at the Australian Open, said he'd love to see an all-Swiss final at Melbourne Park. 1 Rafael Nadal 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6) at Rod Laver Arena.. 3 seed David Ferrer in four sets Tuesday to reach his first-ever Australian semifinal, and is seeking to add to the Wimbledon final he reached Albeit unexpected, the matchup between the two men should be an entertaining battle of power and determination considering their strong performances during this Australian fortnight and the quality of their careers overall.
The focus sharply turns to Thursday night's semi-final.The 2011 French Open champion is into her fourth grand slam final - and third at Melbourne Park after losing title matches to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and Victoria Azarenka last year, both in three sets.
That concludes our rolling coverage of the 2014 Australian Open women's final.