It is the first time in 39 years that Britain has boasted a semi-finalist in both the men’s and women’s singles at a grand slam, after Sue Barker and John Lloyd achieved the feat at the Australian Open in 1977.
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But this time, the world number three has British company in the final stages after Johanna Konta downed China’s Zhang Shuai to become the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semi since 1983.
The Australian-born Konta, 24, has blossomed in the a year ago.
Andy’s brother Jamie had already made it into the semi-finals of the men’s doubles alongside Brazilian Bruno Soares on Tuesday, while in the wheelchair singles Britain’s Gordon Reid enjoyed a stunning victory against Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, the eight-time champion and top seed.
Scottish tennis star Andy Murray marched to the semi-finals of the Australian Open tennis after dismissing Spain’s David Ferrer 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6 -2, 6-3 here on Wednesday.
Raonic has always boasted one of the biggest serves on the Tour but has been criticised in the past for being too one-dimensional for the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who play in the first semi-final on Thursday.
Since Day 1, the Australian Open has been overshadowed by media reports alleging tennis authorities had failed to thoroughly investigate match-fixing.
It’s one thing having the tools to contend for Grand Slams, but winning majors demands knowing how and when to deploy those weapons. Neither player allowed a break point against their service for the remainder of the set.
As part of its investigation, BuzzFeed also devised an algorithm to identify players it said had been regularly involved in matches with suspicious betting patterns. “He’s one of those guys who make you a better player, he’s beaten me on the biggest courts around the world”. Two of them – at 27 and 31 shots in length – came during the second-set tiebreaker, and Murray lost both of those points. Still, he regathered himself to break for 3-1 at the stark of the third set, just before tournament referee Wayne McEwen arrived on court to impose a five-minute roof-closing interruption.
With the roof on, Murray was now in charge as he cranked up the aggression and produced levels Ferrer was simply unable to match.
The Spaniard was growing in confidence and when a rare venture to the net resulted in a sharp forehand volley, Murray said “wow” behind a wry smile. But he added that speculation about specific players isn’t fair without evidence of wrongdoing. I think the main improvement is his return. “Not even only first serve, but in second serve as well”.
After reaching his second grand slam semi-final in Melbourne, Milos Raonic wants to avoid a repeat of his last-four appearance at Wimbledon. “I just said to myself keep making opportunities and hopefully they’ll go my way”.
The other semifinalists – six-time champion Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska – were determined on Tuesday.
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The review will be funded by the Tennis Integrity Board, which oversees the anti-corruption unit set up by the sport in 2008 to combat match-fixing. It will be led by Adam Smith, a London-based lawyer who is an expert in sports law.
