Melbourne, Australia: Novak Djokovic's bid for a fourth consecutive Australian Open title ended in a dramatic five-set quarterfinal loss to Stanislas Wawrinka that opens up the prospects of a new major champion.
No. 8-seeded Wawrinka lost 14 head-to-heads to Djokovic until a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 win on Tuesday night put him into a semifinal that very few expected against No. 7 Tomas Berdych.
Djokovic held off Wawrinka 12-10 in the fifth set in a 5-hour, 2-minute fourth-rounder that finished at 1:41 a.m. here last year -- the longest Grand Slam match of the season -- en route to his third straight Australian title. He and also edged Wawrinka in five sets in the U.S. Open semifinals in September.
This time, it was Wawrinka's turn.
"Last year I finished it was really tough but this year I came back it was a new year," he said. "I tried everything. He's an amazing champion. He never gives up. I'm really, really ... really happy."
