Australian Open 2015 Results: Day 11 Scores and Day 12 Bracket Predictions
Nail-biting matches and unexpected outcomes have comprised the theme of the 2015 Australian Open, and while Day 11 didn't produce any semifinal upsets, the quality of matches remained extremely high.
On the women's side, No. 2 Maria Sharapova defeated No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova in consecutive sets, advancing to the tournament's final for the first time since 2012.
No. 1 Serena Williams took down upstart Madison Keys, earning her first berth in the final since winning the tournament in 2010 and setting up a clash of tennis juggernauts.
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Just one of the two men's semifinal contests took place on Day 11, as No. 6 Andy Murray took down No. 7 Tomas Berdych. Murray has struggled against Berdych in the past, and he dropped the first set after losing a tiebreak.
However, Murray came roaring back, taking the next three sets and advancing to the final. His opponent will be realized following a Day 12 clash between No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Stan Wawrinka.
Before the last semifinal match begins, here's a look at the results from the Day 11 action and a prediction for the highly anticipated Djokovic vs. Wawrinka showdown.
Day 11 Scores
| No. 2 Maria Sharapova def. No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova | 6-3, 6-2 |
| No. 1 Serena Williams def. Madison Keys | 7-6 (5), 6-2 |
| No. 6 Andy Murray def. No. 7 Tomas Berdych | 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 |
All Day 11 results courtesy of the Australian Open's official website.
Day 12 Predictions
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (4) Stan Wawrinka
Djokovic has excelled in Melbourne in recent years, winning the tournament three straight times before falling in the quarterfinal in 2014. He needs just two more victories to hoist the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup yet again; however, he must first go through Wawrinka, the tournament's defending champion.
Through five matches, Djokovic has yet to drop a single set, and he's coming off a massively impressive showing in a quarterfinal victory over hard-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic.
Raonic is known for a mean forehand and a devastating serve, but the agile Djokovic was able to successfully defend against his opponent's onslaught, holding Raonic to win just 53 percent of his second-serve points and just 11 of a possible 23 net points.
The Canadian did accumulate 15 aces, but that number was way down from his two previous matches in which he racked up 30 and 22, respectively.
Not only was Djokovic great on the defensive, but his well-rounded arsenal afforded him a great deal of success when attacking. He won an impressive 89 percent of his first-serve points, 74 percent of his second-serve points and took 17 of a possible 18 net points.
Djokovic's success against this tricky opponent only adds to his confidence going forward, and he spoke of his increased momentum heading into a match against Wawrinka during a press conference, via AusOpen.com:
"Yes, I take a lot of confidence. I try to carry that in every next match, next challenge. Obviously I'm going to play Stan, who is the defending champion here. We played five-set matches in 2013 and '14 Australian Open. I'm going to be ready for a fight. But knowing that I have raised the level of performance tonight, and probably playing the best match of the tournament so far is affecting my confidence in a positive way. Hopefully I can carry that into next one.
"
That momentum should serve the No. 1 seed well, as Wawrinka has a similar big serve and forehand to Raonic. In fact, the No. 4 seed's power was a major factor in his convincing victory over No. 5 Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals.
Nishikori is extremely athletic, but he struggled to react to Wawrinka's monstrous serves. The Swiss had a hot hand, tallying 20 aces and winning 86 percent of his first-serve points. He was extremely effective in limiting his opponent's success on the return, holding Nishikori to win just 26 percent of his receiving points.
While the win was impressive for Wawrinka, there is one glaring weakness in his game, and that would be in the unforced error department, as he tallied 34 of them in his quarterfinal match. Meanwhile, Djokovic was able to handle a similar player in Raonic while keeping his own unforced errors to just 17.
Wawrinka is an extremely talented player who boasts one of tennis' most dangerous serves, but Djokovic's versatility on the return, accuracy during rallies and ever-growing confidence will propel him through to the final.
Prediction: Djokovic wins in four sets
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