Aussie Open 2nd Semi Andy Murray Vs David Ferrer

David Ferrer (left); Andy Murray (right)

Thursday's second semi-final match between Andy Murray & David Ferrer started off as a slugfest, with both guys knocking the fuzz off of the balls.  Serving at 4-5 in the first set, the Scot was broken - first set goes to David Ferrer.  This was the first time that Andy Murray had lost a set to Ferrer on a hard court.
The second set didn't get much easier for Andy Murray.  He began to realize that the scrappy Spainard was going to be a backboard who liked the pace, so Murray began to mix things up, using the slice (not overusing the slice).  He broke Ferrer's serve, but was soon broken back.  Onto the tiebreak, where Murray's steadiness proved key.  He kept down his unforced errors & protected his serve to race out to a 6-0 led in the tiebreak, before taking the set 7-2 in the tiebreak.

David Ferrer

Seeing that his foe had been rattled by the second set tiebreak, Murray took full advantage, taking the third set 6-1.

Murray victorious

Forth set was almost a replay of the second, with Murray breaking early, then being broken back.  Andy mixed up his pace & shot selection, taking the set to the second tiebreak of the match.  Ferrer must have been thinking about his poor tiebreak record (1-11 overall, 0-11 at the Melbourn Park), and Murray once again won the tiebreak 7-2. 
Next up for the Scot will be 2008 Australian Open champion, Novak Djovokic.  Nole holds a slight lead in their head-to-head (4-3), but Murray has won the last three matches they've played against one another.  Their last meeting was at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Murray winning in straight sets 6-2, 7-5.  Murray will try to become the first British citizen, since Fred Perry 75 years ago, to win a mjor title, and the odds seem to be in his favor.