Strewth! You beaut' Rafaroo!!!

Can you believe it? He's in the final !!!!!!!!!!

Oh this boy never disappoints, but at the start of his match with Roger Federer, Rafa looked anything but at ease, Feds was playing a stormer, he raced to a 4-1 lead and our Rafa had hardly contained his nerves and got out of the blocks. But he won a service game, and then a couple of un-cute shots from Feds gave the advantage back to Rafa, and he broke back. And with another service game won, it was back all level. But then nothing gave and we were into a tie-breaker which Rafa wasn't so good in, Feds was, and he took it by 7 points to 5.

At the start of the second set, *yikes* Rafa got broken - what a dreadful start! But our boy isn't a champion for nothing, and he immediately broke right back. But Rafa was getting into his groove now, and starting to feel the game, and with another break, Rafa led the set at 5-2 when the Australia Day fireworks came and the players had to stop for around 10 minutes. The commies were chortling with glee in that they came at a time when all the momentum was with Rafa, and Feds may be the one who would benefit from the break. But no ... he was the one who had to serve after the re-start ... and was woeful, with Rafa breaking to take the second set, 6-2.

Game on ...

When Rafa held 3 break points at the start of the 3rd set I was willing him on ... come on, come on! But they were squandered. And ridiculously, Feds was working his way right back into this set. He broke Rafa, but again, Rafa broke right back, and the players played on till 6-6 and once again, we had a tie-breaker.

This time, Rafa was sensational and he raced ahead to a 6-1 lead. Come on Rafa, you can do it, just DO it!! But no, Feds, clawed his way back. 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 ... Come on Rafa!! but thankfully he took his one remaining set point and there he was ... he was in the lead at 2 sets to 1.

The fourth set was a case of each man holding onto his serve, till it was levelled at 4-4. With Feds serving, Rafa started to turn the screw. He hung in there and took the game to deuce. You could feel it coming, you could sense it was going to happen and then there we had it ... Rafabreak!!

With Rafa serving for the match and me barely being able to breathe, it became quite an intense affair and nervy for Rafa. Feds got it to 30-40 with a break point, Rafa came back. Advantages swopped between both men when in a rally exchange, Rafa was scurrying all over the place and hit a hopeful lob. It landed plumb on the baseline when Feds must have been wishing for it to go long, and then he hit a smash out with the court at his mercy. Saved. Rafa got himself to match point again, and I'm so excited, I can't even remember the play that won it!!

But I remember the outstretched arms of victory - missed the exchange at the net as I was running around my lounge like a looney - and loved that Rafa then went back onto the court, sunk to his knees and raised his fists into the air. The winner! He's in the final.

Rafa, gracious as ever, applauded Federer off the court. He's delighted he's in the final ... we're delighted he's in the final. Whoever he gets, whether its Murray or the PoD, he's reached his fourth consecutive Grand Slam final across all the services and is the fifth man in the Open Era to ever have reached all the GS finals twice.

The records are mounting up Rafa. Keep yourself safe till after Sunday; watch out for vicious, attacking hotel armchairs, stay away from hot plates, keep your fingers out of the reach of stingrays and come onto the court on Sunday ... and play your blinkin' heart out.

VAMOS!!!