Raonic falls to Murray in Australian Open semifinal
Posted Jan 29, 2016 08:00:57 AM.
Last Updated Jan 29, 2016 10:28:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Now that he has reached the Australian Open final for the fifth time, Andy Murray has a more anxious wait than ever to see if he can break his drought.
No. 2-ranked Murray had a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 13-seeded Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., in a momentum-swinging match that finished just before midnight Friday night.
Murray, who has lost all four previous finals he has contested at Melbourne Park, will play the championship decider on Sunday night against five-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has never lost a title match on Rod Laver Arena.
“Five finals is a great achievement. I have to be proud of that achievement,” Murray said. “Doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past. What matters is what happens Sunday.”
Three of Djokovic’s wins in Australia have come in finals against his old friend Murray, every odd-numbered year since 2011.
“He loves playing on this court — we’ve played a bunch of times here,” Murray said. “Hopefully it can be a different result.”
Murray has had a lot on his mind this time. His wife, Kim, is back in Britain and due to have their first baby next month. Kim’s father, Nigel Sears, was in Melbourne as coach for Ana Ivanovic and had to be rushed to a hospital by ambulance during one of her matches on Rod Laver Arena, which happened to coincide with Murray’s third-round match on an adjacent arena.
Sears spent a night in hospital, with Murray visiting, but was considered well enough to return home. Murray said before arriving in Australia that he’d leave immediately if needed at home. While his father-in-law was being treated in hospital, he thought his departure may have been earlier than expected.
He won his next two matches in straight sets, shaking out some of the emotions.
He had more to contend with against Raonic, who was playing in only his second Grand Slam semifinal, and aiming to be the first Canadian man to reach the final of a major. The top-ranked Djokovic, meanwhile, won 27 of his 28 matches in Grand Slams in 2015.
“I need to keep my game plan very well, not have any lapses in concentration and just play the best I can,” said Murray, who has won just nine of his 30 career meetings with Djokovic.
Murray’s older brother Jamie is in the doubles final with Bruno Soares against Daniel Nestor of Toronto and Radek Stepanek on Saturday, giving the Scottish siblings the distinction of being the first brothers to appear in the singles and doubles finals at the same major in the Open era. The men’s doubles decider follows the women’s final between six-time champion Serena Williams and No. 7-seeded Angelique Kerber.
In the women’s doubles final Friday, the No. 1-ranked team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (1), 6-3 to extend their winning streak to 36 matches on the way to a third Grand Slam title together.
Mirza couldn’t extend her run in mixed doubles, losing with her partner Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 7-6 (4) to Elena Vesnina and Soares in the semifinals later Friday. Vesnina and Soares will play American Coco Vandeweghe and Horia Tecau of Romania in Sunday’s final.
