The Australian Open had one of its most memorable matches last year.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic faced No. 17 Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round. The two-time defending champion had the fight of his life against Wawrinka. After splitting the first two sets, the match came down to a final fifth set, where no tiebreaker is allowed. Djokovic outlasted his opponent 12-10 in the set to advance and eventually win his third straight Australian Open. The match was later voted as the best match of 2013.
This year has brought back even more excitement in Melbourne, Australia.
One year after the five-set classic in 2013, Wawrinka found himself in the same spot, facing Djokovic once again. It was the quarterfinals, and Wawrinka came into the matched ranked No. 8. He was looking for revenge against the tournament favorite. Wawrinka had a 2-15 record against Djokovic, but he knew after last year he had a chance of dethroning the No. 2 seed.
Wawrinka was playing excellently and showed no signs of being intimidated. Again, the first four sets were split to force a final set. Serving at 7-8, 30-40, Djokovic pulled a forehand wide and lost match point with a volley wide. Wawrinka threw his hands in the air and completed his revenge with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 victory.
Wawrinka’s upset was not the only of the week. American No. 1 Serena Williams lost to No. 14 Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round. Since then, defending champion No. 2 Victoria Azarenka and No. 3 Maria Sharapova have also lost.
On the men’s side, No. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro fell early in the second round, No. 4 Andy Murray lost to No. 6 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, and No. 3 David Ferrer also lost in the quarterfinals.
Finally, there is a chance for someone new to win a major.
The last time someone won a major outside of Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Del Potro and Murray was 2005. No. 7 Tomas Berdych and No. 8 Wawrinka will play each other for a chance at the final. The winner will face either No. 6 Federer or No. 1 Nadal in the final. Both Berdych and Wawrinka are eager for their first major, but they have to face each other before they can face Nadal or Federer.
The women also have two surprise players in the semifinals. Nineteen-year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard has come from nowhere and will play No. 4 Li Na, while No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska will play in the other match against No. 20 Dominika Cibulkova. Out of the four women, only Li has a grand slam title.
This weekend, the Australian Open will make history. Five players have the chance to win their first major. Federer is looking to add to his major title record of 17. Nadal is looking to gain a step closer to that record and get number 14.
After all the great matches and upsets so far in this tournament, there is no reason not to expect more. I know I’ll be watching.
