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Andy Murray is through to his first French Open final as the Brit knocked out the defending champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2. Murray produced an astute display in the first two sets, using his solid tennis and attacking play to subdue his Swiss opponent. Even though Wawrinka battled back to force a fourth set, the Brit emphatically recovered to dominate the contest thereafter and set up a blockbuster final against Novak Djokovic.
In the opening set, Murray was forced to save a break point before holding his first service game, as he found it difficult to contend with Wawrinka’s powerful groundstrokes. However, the Brit settled thereafter and in the following game, he capitalised on a few errors from his opponent to seize the early break for a 2-1 lead. The Swiss though still remained a threat with his heavy shot-making, as he battled hard to avoid going down a double break and reduced the deficit. But, Murray was solid on serve throughout, producing an impressive blend of patience and aggression when needed to keep his advantage intact. Even though Wawrinka created break points to level the scoreline as the Brit served for the set at 5-4, Murray erased them all with timely accurate serves, before eventually prevailing to seal the set when Wawrinka’s backhand return drifted wide.
As the second set unfolded, both players easily held their opening service games but once again an error strewn game from the Swiss at 1-1 was punished by the world number two, establishing the early break when Wawrinka netted a drop shot attempt. Murray confidently consolidated the advantage and then struck again, beating his opponent with consecutive backhand passing shots to gain the double break for a 4-1 lead. The Swiss was struggling to manage his unforced errors as Murray continued to race through his service games with ease, and the Brit wrapped up a very dominant set of tennis with an unreturnable serve to take a two set lead.
In the third set, Murray threatened to take the upper hand early on again when the Brit held a break point, but this time Wawrinka stood firm and a powerful first serve followed by consecutive winners saw the reigning champion eventually edge ahead 2-1. In the next couple of service games both players were able to hold serve efficiently, but as Murray served to stay in the set at 5-4 down, the Brit became tight and a series of uncharacteristic errors was enough for Wawrinka to eventually claim the set and keep his hopes alive.
However, the fourth set saw Murray quickly respond and the combination of his incredible defensive skills as well as Wawrinka’s errors saw the Brit clinch the crucial break before consolidating for a 2-0 lead. The reigning champion did well to get on the scoreboard after his opponent pressed for another break with exquisite shot-making, but Murray was relentless and he finally converted when Wawrinka blasted a forehand wide to gain the double break for a 5-2 advantage. The world number two was left serving for the match and he comfortably closed out the victory with an overhead smash, to book his place in the final.
With this victory, Murray became the first Brit since Bunny Austin in 1937 to reach the final of Roland Garros, and the world number two will meet Novak Djokovic next, as the Serbian recorded a comprehensive 6-2 6-1 6-4 win over Dominic Thiem.
On the women’s side, Serena Williams moved one step closer to retaining her title after edging Kiki Bertens 7-6 6-4, and the world number one will face Garbine Muguruza in the final, as the Spaniard defeated Samantha Stosur in straight sets.
