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'Nervous' Wawrinka avenges Nishikori with fighting win

January 28, 2015 12:37 IST

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland greets Kei Nishikori of Japan at the net after winning the quarter-final of the 2015 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland greets Kei Nishikori of Japan at the net after winning the quarter-final of the 2015 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Men's champion Stan Wawrinka avenged a tough defeat to Kei Nishikori at last year's US Open at the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The quietly confident Wawrinka, who was beaten in the quarter-finals by Nishikori at Flushing Meadows, took his opportunities to produce a surprisingly comfortable victory as he negated the Japanese fifth seed's baseline game.

"I'm still nervous even after the end of the tiebreak," Wawrinka said in a courtside interview of the 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) victory that he sealed with his 20th ace on his sixth match point after he had established a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak.

Stanislas Wawrinka celebrates after beating Kei Nishikori on Wednesday

Stanislas Wawrinka celebrates after beating Kei Nishikori on Wednesday. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

"There is no easy match even from the first round. I am playing well and I'm happy to be back playing the semi-final."

It was the 29-year-old Swiss' first win over a top-five player since he beat Roger Federer in Monte Carlo last year and the workmanlike victory undoubtedly sent a warning to four-times champion Novak Djokovic he would need to be at his best to reclaim the Australian Open title.

Djokovic plays big-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic later on Rod Laver Arena with the winner to meet Wawrinka in the semi-finals.

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