Andy Murray reached his fourth Australian Open final with a hard-fought four-set semi-final win over Tomas Berdych in Melbourne on Thursday.
The British sixth seed will be hoping it is fourth time lucky in the decider, having booked his place with a 6-7 (6-8) 6-0 6-3 7-5 victory on Rod Laver Arena.
Murray is a two-time grand slam champion but three-time runner-up at Melbourne Park.
He overcame a testy and tricky Berdych – the Czech seventh seed now coached by Murray's former mentor Dani Vallverdu – in three hours and 26 minutes.
In the end, despite some tense moments between the pair, Murray was too classy as Berdych fell in the semi-finals for the second straight year.
Murray showed signs of calf soreness in the sixth game, pulling up sore after a backhand cross-court winner helped him get out of a 0-30 predicament.
There were regular glances at his player's box, and even more frequent shouts of 'come on'.
When Berdych held for 4-3, Murray looked at his support team once more before swearing – the change of ends bringing a slight stretch of his left calf.
More pain was to follow as Berdych broke for a 5-3 lead when Murray netted a desperate backhand.
Murray had won just two receiving points as Berdych served for the set, but he broke straight back when the Czech netted a forehand.
That drew a reaction from Murray towards Berdych's support team, where his former coach was sitting.
It would be a topsy-turvy tie-break – Murray went from 3-1 up to 4-3 down, and had a set point saved via a Berdych backhand volley.
A Berdych ace saw him create set point, converted when Murray powered a forehand into the net to end a 76-minute first set.
Murray was unhappy about something Berdych said at the change of ends, and it appeared to spur him into action.
After a wonderful lob dragged him back into the game, Murray watched a Berdych backhand fly long to break and take a 2-0 lead.
Berdych's level dropped and Murray capitalised, breaking once more in the fourth game and completing a 30-minute bagel as Berdych finished the set with one winner and 12 unforced errors, the last a long forehand.
The contest of the first set was back on in the third – but Berdych's concentration wavered as a pair of double faults and a wide forehand put him in trouble in the sixth game.
He went from 40-0 up to being broken, a 4-2 lead sealed by Murray when he ripped a forehand winner down the line on his way to seeing out the set.
Murray saved break points in the sixth game of the fourth, and got his chance in the 11th following a Berdych double fault.
Berdych pulled a backhand long to give Murray the break and a 6-5 lead, and he served it out to love – completed with an ace.