Photo ReutersRoger 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 the 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 more than 40 years. Wawrinka double-faulted to hand Federer the key break in the sixth game and four-time champion Federer rode a wave of adulation from the terraces to serve out the match to love. The Swiss will become the oldest men's grand slam finalist since Ken Rosewall featured in the US Open in 1974 at the age of 39. But he moved superbly to deny his close friend Wawrinka a chance at a fourth grand slam title.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 26, 2017 18:08 UTC