Murray (senior) wins first Australian Open title

Murray went on a run of winning 20 of 25 points to go ahead 4-0 and all but clinch the match and a spot in a ninth Grand Slam final. “Very physically demanding match”.

Serena Williams is through to the women’s final after a dominant display against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.

Milos Raonic of Canada plays a forehand return to Andy Murray of Britain during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016.

And he believes there are positives to take from his performance in the first three sets against Murray.

“It is probably the most heartbroken I’ve felt on court but that’s what it is”, Raonic said.

“I need to do it for a very long period if I want to get the win”. “That’s my challenge on Sunday”. “These are the kind of occasions that define you as a tennis player”. But one of those losses was to Murray in the Canadian Open final last summer. Murray held two points later. He will face world number two Andy Murray who overcame Milos Raonic in five sets.

The Scot and the Brazilian only teamed up at the start of the year but have now won two out of the three tournaments they have entered. The world No 1, who has won 10 grand slam titles, will have the advantage of an extra day of rest, having played his semi-final against Roger Federer on Thursday. “He knows where he failed in last year’s final against Djokovic”, he says. “We have to be inspired from that as well”.

“It’s one tennis match”. Murray clung on to his serve like a limpet after that.

It has been a triumphant return for Murray’s coach Amelie Mauresmo, who came back into the Murray camp after just four months away following the birth of her first child, Aaron, in August. Murray was sacked up when he needed to be and downright cussed when he had to be but, for the most part, he was just focused on the point in front of him. “I thought he left to go back to the hotel obviously”.

“It’s a possibility for me to make history, which is of course another great imperative for me for tomorrow’s match”, he said. “I was shocked to see him there”.

It was only after he had to take a medical time-out early in the fourth set that he started to struggle because of an injury to an adductor muscle which increasingly affected his serve and his movement. He had been hobbled by a groin strain and even though he did everything he could to keep pace with the world No 2,
Murray won 11 of the next 15 games to close out his win and reach that fifth final.

It is the first time two brothers have made separate finals at the same major since Lawrence and Reginald Doherty achieved the feat at Wimbledon in 1906.

The 13th seed has been on fire this year and his big serve and huge forehands had one of the best returners in the game on the ropes, while his new-found net game helped him to a healthy 72 winners. “I should be happy about that”.

Andy could have lots to celebrate in the next couple of weeks, as he is due to compete against reigning champion Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Australian Open on Sunday. Obviously when you get to the final you’re disappointed if you don’t win.

Andy said: “For it to be the first time to happen, it is incredible really. It’s about what happens on Sunday”, Murray said.