Murray outlasts Raonic in 5 sets to advance to Aussie Open final

Andy Murray survived a stiff challenge from a game Milos Raonic on Friday, outlasting him 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 in just over four hours to advance to his fifth career Australian Open final.

He's yet to win the title in four attempts.

For Raonic, who put his best foot forward for three-and-a-half sets, it was a bitterly disappointing finish, as a groin ailment hampered his movement significantly down the stretch. Still, it counts as a positive result for the lanky Canadian, who was playing in just his second major semi and his first in Melbourne.

Raonic served like a monster, as is his wont, committing to going into Murray's body and continually handcuffing one of the best returners in the game. More importantly, he proved his game has evolved and filled out, complementing his easy baseline power with swift north-south movement and deft volleying. Meanwhile, his favorite shot - the inside-out forehand - opened up the court for him time and again, finding with it some ridiculous angles.

Murray seemed surprised by Raonic's newfound variety, and early on played as though he was facing the Raonic of old. He went to the drop shot several times, expecting the once-plodding 25-year-old to get hung up, only to have those droppers come right back at him. He had a whale of a time trying to pass Raonic, whose improved instincts and natural length make him a terror at the net. Raonic came forward 74 times - nearly triple the number Murray did - and won 68 percent of those points.

Murray weathered the storm with aplomb, doing what he does best, which is keep the ball in play. He made blind backhand blocks to return 140-mph serves, went corner to corner in a blur to retrieve nuclear forehands, and scampered forward to dig out dying drop volleys. He made Raonic hit just a few more balls than he wanted to, made him go for just a little bit extra, and coaxed him into 78 unforced errors while committing just 28 of his own.

Murray's service game was also effective. Raonic broke him in the first game of the match, but couldn't replicate the result thereafter, and for all Raonic's raw power, Murray won a higher percentage of his first-serve points (79 to 77). Raonic won just a quarter of his return points.

By the time the fifth set rolled around, Raonic looked dead in the water. He stopped moving his feet and couldn't seem to push off his back leg at all. He grimaced after nearly every point. After double-faulting to dump serve in the first game of the set, he obliterated his racket - a rare show of emotion from the stoic Canadian.

"Probably the most heartbroken I felt on court, but that's what it is," he said after the match.

To his credit, he went down swinging, warding off a final-set bagel with a spirited hold at 0-4 in which he saved five break points. He was only delaying the inevitable, and he knew it, but he kept fighting anyway.

Novak Djokovic should be duly grateful. The world No. 1 defeated Roger Federer in a comparatively breezy two-hour, 19-minute semifinal Thursday, and will meet Murray in the final.

It's the fourth time the two will play for the Norman Brookes Cup, with Murray still looking to get on the board.