The Rod Laver Arena may be anticipating the Andy Murray and David Ferrer battle later on day 12, but first up is the women's doubles final. Maria Kirilenko and Victoria Azarenka (above) face Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta
Pennetta, 25th seed in the singles, does not have the best of starts as the Italian takes a tumble, loses the first set and faces match points in the second set alongside her Argentine partner
But it's a terrific fightback from the number one seeds. After trailing by a set and 5-4 in the second, the lively pair, semi-finalists at Wimbledon last year, cruise through the decider to bag their first Grand Slam title
So the run continues for Dulko and Pennetta who who made it to the quarter-finals at all the Grand Slams last year. Dulko says: "A set and 4-1 down we were in shock. We just kept fighting."
It's not only Andy Murray waving the British flag on Friday. Teenager George Morgan is in action in the semi-finals of the boys' singles but he loses in straight sets to top seed Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic
The media are going a little crazy for Li Na. The Chinese ninth seed soaks up the attention ahead of Saturday's women's final against Belgian third seed Kim Clijsters
It's time for the second men's semi-final. The world number five Murray is aiming for his third Grand Slam final as he starts his encounter against Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer with Novak Djokovic waiting in Sunday's final
I wonder who the world number one is cheering on? Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki tries to forget her semi-final defeat by Li Na on Thursday as she watches the Murray and Ferrer clash
Ferrer comes into the tie as underdog and he loses serve to trail 4-3 in the opener. The Spaniard scraps all the way from the baseline to break back and edge the first set 6-4. He'll be starting to sniff a first Grand Slam final
I think we can safely say who he's supporting. Not much to cheer though. The Scot may have bagged 20 winners with the second set hanging precariously at 3-3, but the unforced error count is 29. Can he recover?
The pressure builds in the second set as the errors keep coming for the Scottish 23-year-old. Ferrer still looks the sharpest and most dangerous as the pair exchange a barrage of explosive rallies to be level at 5-5
Nervy times. Murray breaks at 6-5 but the topsy-turvy nature of this fascinating duel continues and it's tie-break time. The 73-minute set ends in favour of the Brit. Melbourne shakes as the roar echoes around Rod Laver
With Murray pulling it back to one-set all, Ferrer is left muttering in his chair. Murray's serve is improving and looks stronger as the momentum swings in favour of the man who made last year's Australian Open final
There are concerns in Camp Murray over a leg injury. But he soon shrugs off any doubts as his legs fire around the court - helped by a recharged serve - to guide him to set three at the expense of one game in 42 minutes.
Keep the noise down in the cheap seats please. Fans of Britain's number one raise the roof as Murray grabs an early break at the start of set four. Is there any way back for the weary-looking Spaniard?
Emotions run high with a Grand Slam final at stake. Even the language is getting spicy from the players. Ferrer looks down and out, trailing 2-0 in set four, but the drama rolls on as he wins three games in a row. Stunning
Can this game get any more tense? The two gladiators stay focused as the battle rages on in a titanic fourth set. Murray amasses 56 winners with 61 unforced errors and it's another tie-break. Who's your money on?
It's all over for Ferrer. The seventh seed struggles at the start of the tie-break, gets a break back before crumbling 7-2. Ferrer gave Murray a real scare though with a dazzling, if a little inconsistent, performance
The agony is over for player and fans. Murray comes through 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 7-6 (7-2) after an absorbing match over 226 minutes. An ice bath awaits ahead of a mouth-watering final against Novak Djokovic on Sunday
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~58~RS~){kind=small}
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~58~RS~)
E-mail this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these?