The hotly anticipated semi-final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was not exactly a classic as Nadal put on a ruthless display winning in three sets, 7-6(4) 6-3 6-3.  In the pre-match poll, it was the second one of the tournament that had been split 50-50 after over 150 votes.  Nadal now takes on Stanislas Wawrinka, who faces an uphill struggle in his first Grand Slam final.  Here are my thoughts.

Rafael Nadal

There appeared to be some renewed optimism amongst tennis fans and pundits about Roger Federer’s chances of beating Rafael Nadal for the first time in a Grand Slam since the 2007 Wimbledon final  I thought the match would go the distance, but Nadal needed just the three sets to clatter his way into a 3rd Australian Open final.  Federer struggled on his backhand, as he often does against Nadal and was picked off at the net on many occasions by some clinical passing from the Spaniard.  Nadal’s route through the draw has been rather comfortable with his toughest matches coming in the 4th round against Kei Nishikori (7-6 7-5 7-6) and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals (3-6 7-6(3) 7-6(7) 6-2).

Stanislas Wawrinka has had a superb fortnight, whatever the result in the final.  His tournament and perhaps the whole year, will be defined by his quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic, which in terms of drama and excitement, has been the best match from the ATP side.  He backed up the win over Djokovic in convincing fashion with a four set win over Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals, 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(3) 7-6(4).   Wawrinka will become the number one ranked Swiss player on Monday, which is an odd concept to take on board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9NIqnmVb5g

I have to admit I was disappointed Nadal won because I think an all-Swiss final between Federer and Wawrinka would have been aces.  Wawrinka has never taken a set off Nadal in 12 clashes.  In addition, Nadal has the experience of 19 Grand Slam finals compared to Stan’s 0.  Clutching at straws, the slight positive for Stan is that their last match at the World Tour Finals was his best performance against Rafa, as he forced him to two tiebreaks, of which he really should have won one of them.

The odds are stacked firmly against Stan so really, there should be no pressure on the guy.  He has exceeded all his expectations by reaching the final and he can go out with his head held high and TRY and win a first set off the Spaniard.  Unfortunately I don’t think he stands a chance of winning.  I’ve been shocked several times at the results during this Australian Open but Stan beating Rafa in the final would just about take the biscuit… And for the record, I will be 100% cheering on Stanley!

Prediction: Nadal to beat Wawrinka in 3 sets