Murray defeats Federer in epic semifinal

U.S. Open champion Murray stayed in the hunt for a second consecutive major with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 win Friday over the 17-time major champion at the Australian Open.

Murray, who served for the match at 6-5 in the fourth set, will play defending champion and top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who was rarely troubled while beating David Ferrer in straight sets in just under 90 minutes on Thursday night — about 2 1/2 hours less than Friday's semifinal.

Advantage to Djokovic, then, for the Sunday night final.

While U.S. Open champion Murray came into the match with a 10-9 career advantage, Murray had never beaten Federer in the three times they had met in majors — at finals at the 2008 U.S. Open, 2010 Australian Open and last year at Wimbledon.

“It's always tough against him when he plays his best tennis,” Murray said, explaining why he was unable to close out in the fourth set. “I was obviously very nervous. He plays his best tennis when his back is against the wall.”

Federer outplayed Murray at stages of the match, but the 25-year-old Scotsman appeared to have the legs and stamina to give him the advantage over the 31-year-old Federer in the fifth set, including a service break to clinch the tense match.

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