Stan Wawrinka: Celebrates winning his quarter-final match against Kei Nishikori
Defending champion Stan Wawrinka beat Japan's Kei Nishikori in straight sets to reach the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday in Melbourne.
The Swiss player gained revenged for his US Open quarter-final defeat to Nishikori in style with a comprehensive 6-3 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory to charge into the final four of the tournament.
The fourth seed has slowly worked his way into 2015's first Grand Slam but laid down his marker on a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena, dominating Nishikori with power and compiling a detailed highlights reel of winners.
Kei Nishikori: Couldn't challenge defending champion Wawrinka
Wawrinka's backhand was particularly effective as he picked off his opponent from all points of the court, but the Swiss No 2 was also impressive rushing to the net, a relatively new weapon in his arsenal.
However, he did make hard work of the tie-break in third set, blowing five match points after powering to a 6-1 lead, but closed it out on the sixth with an ace after just over two hours to set up a semi-final with the winner of the clash between top seed Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic.
After the match, Wawrinka told reporters: "I am still nervous about that tie-break, I was a bit defensive, it's never easy, you have to go for it and I'm happy to get through.
"It's going to be a tough one in the semi, but I'm playing well so I am happy to be back again to be playing in the semi-final. I will watch tonight's match and then practice tomorrow."