Roger Federer is 17/24 tennis betting to win his all-Swiss showdown with Stan Wawrinka at the Australian Open and take another step towards an 18th grand slam title.
The 35-year-old, whose last major triumph came at Wimbledon in 2012, cruised to a 6-1 7-5 6-2 victory against Mischa Zverev on Rod Laver Arena and will now face his compatriot for a place in Sunday's final.
Wawrinka certainly represents a formidable challenge as the US Open champion and arguably the most dangerous player left in the draw given he has won three grand slams in as many years.
The 31-year-old is the 11/4 second-favourite for the title – behind Federer at 2/1 – but has often struggled to find his best form against his friend and mentor, with whom he won the Davis Cup in 2014.
“He's a clutch player now,” Federer said of his next opponent. “At the US Open he proved it again, he's won a slam for the last three years. At Davis Cup, when it was important he was right there for me, for us, for Switzerland.
“For me to play against Stan I've got to stay aggressive, the more time I give him the better he is. He's the biggest hitter we have in the game right now.”
Wawrinka often grows into a tournament, vulnerable in the early rounds but, as Novak Djokovic found to his cost in Flushing Meadows, unstoppable when the finishing line is in sight.
He is 57/50 to win Thursday’s match and should be relatively fresh after seeing off France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/2) 6-4 6-3.
On the prospect of facing Federer, he said: “It's always something special. Most important is that I try as much as I can to focus on myself, that I step on the court to try to find a way how to win the match.”
In the women’s semi-final on Thursday, Venus Williams will also be hoping to post another triumph for the old guard when she faces Coco Vandeweghe.
Williams, at 36, is the oldest singles player in the women's draw but she rolled back the years to beat 24th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 7-6 (7/3).
The victory puts Williams into the last four here for the first time in 14 years and continues a late resurgence for the American, who has now made the semis twice in her last three grand slams.
Vandeweghe beat seventh seed Garbine Muguruza and is the 3/4 favourite, with Williams available at 27/25.
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