Andy Murray outlasts Milos Raonic in five-set marathon

ANDY MURRAY, on the court conditions that favoured him after the Rod Laver Arena roof was closed because of an approaching thunderstorm.

Andy Murray during day 10 of the 2016 Australian Open, January 27.

The world number two was rocked by a medical emergency involving his father-in-law Nigel Sears earlier in the tournament, while his wife Kim is heavily pregnant back home in Britain. Raonic? Well, this is his first trip to the semifinals in Melbourne and it probably won’t be his last. But for the most part his progress on the tennis court has been straightforward. History beckons, and Murray has little time for the restrictions of the past.

The victor of the Murray-Raonic match will face top seed Novak Djokovic in the finals after the Serb scored a masterful win against Roger Federer on Wednesday.

THERE is something odd about Milos Raonic, and not just the fact that he wears an orange sleeve, orange shoes, socks and mouthguard during matches.

However, the Brit broke in the 12th game of the second set to take it 7-5 and draw level in Melbourne.

Murray and Raonic, who advanced to his second Grand Slam semifinal after losing to Federer in the final four at Wimbledon in 2014, are 3-3 in career meetings.

Andy Murray’s second serve, once considered a weakness, has now more power under the coaching of … That was the key. The Scot happily obliged as the match was forced to a decisive fifth set.

With Djokovic and Federer in the same half, most would likely have predicted that a face-off between the two would be one semi-final. I need to not have any lapses in concentration. “It was good to have a break because we played some brutal rallies”. “Hopefully this time it can be a different result”.

In the second men’s semifinal, British number one Andy Murray will take on Milos Raonic. “I don’t feel I did much wrong”.

6-1 7-6 (7-2) to become only the seventh player in the Open era to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year. She had a first-round win over No. 8 Venus Williams and beat No. 21 Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets in the fourth round.

Raonic beat Murray on clay in Barcelona in 2012 and they split their hardcourt matches that year at the U.S. Open and in Japan. They jousted to deuce, where his big serve got him to 5-all. He managed the former to love, and a cracking crosscourt victor to pass at the net after a quality exchange gave Murray set point. “Obviously his whole game is built around his serve”.

That was the last time Raonic played until the grass-court swing in Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, as he missed the rest of the clay season because of minor foot surgery.

It’s the first time since the Australian Open in December 1977 that that two British players (John Lloyd and Sue Barker) have advanced to the final four of any major.

The Canadian will hope to keep the points short against Murray, who has the fitness and speed to match the game’s ultimate baseline hustlers, as Ferrer found to his detriment. Murray held with an outswinger down the T. It was his match to lose. “I’ll put in a great effort, I can’t wait to make the most of this opportunity”. The pressure was building on both sides of the net.

“He is unsafe but it comes down to Murray returning the serve well”.