Stan Wawrinka defeated Andy Murray in a five set thriller on Friday to storm into the Roland Garros final. The 2015 champion prevailed 6-7(6), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-1 in a gruelling four-and-a-half-hour contest.
In a match that was always going to be a tussle between Wawrinka’s brilliance and Murray’s resilience, it was the Swiss who drew first blood in the first set, breaking Murray in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead.
However, he failed to serve out the set allowing Murray take the set into a tie-break. After both traded mini-breaks earlier, an unforced error from Wawrinka at 6-6 proved decisive.
It was again Wawrinka who was quicker off the blocks in the second set, as he broke in the seventh game. However, this time, he followed that up with a hold to lead 5-3.
A couple of dazzling ground-strokes, including a forehand winner, gave Wawrinka a second break and, with it the set.
The third was an absolute thriller as Murray dropped serve early to trail 0-3. The Scot struck back by breaking Wawrinka in the fourth game, only for the third seed to get another break for 4-2. But, Murray levelled yet again.
Two unforced errors and the three that Murray drew from Wawrinka in the eleventh game got the top seed the break he needed, and he held serve in the following game without too much trouble to take a two sets to one lead.
The fourth was a test of nerves for Wawrinka; he came back from 15-30 in three of his service games to hold.
The set went into yet another tie-break, where three unforced errors from Murray and a couple of forehand winners helped Wawrinka force a fifth set.
The decider was a bit of an anti-climax as Wawrinka raced to a 5-0 lead. Murray did manage a consolation break, before the former champion broke for the fourth time to seal the match.
Eventually, Wawrinka’s 87 winners and 77 unforced errors, to Murray’s 36 and 36 told the story of the match.
