Roger Federer, Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka live stream, Watch Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - 24/1/17 Switzerland's Roger Federer hits a shot during his Men's singles quarter-final match against Germany's Mischa Zverev. Reuters / Thomas Peter

Roger Federer, just one win away from reaching his Grand Slam final since the 2015 US Open, will face a stiff challenge from fellow Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals of the 2017 Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday evening.

Federer, returning from a six-month injury layoff, is playing his first major tournament since last year's Wimbledon and admittedly surprised himself by reaching the final four of the first Grand Slam of 2017. With top seeds Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray suffering shocking upsets, the likes of Federer, Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal, three of the four remaining men, will fancy their chances to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on Sunday.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion has faced a tricky road to the final four. After fending off former World No. 10 Tomas Berdych in the third round, Federer needed five sets to get past Japan's World. no. 5 Kei Nishikori before squaring off with Andy Murray's conqueror, Mischa Zverev, in the quarters. Though Federer beat Zverev in straight sets, few analysts expect the 35-year-old to go the distance and win his sixth Australian Open crown on Sunday.

Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka betting odds

According to The Telegraph, Roger Federer is favoured to win with 4/6 odds. But the Swiss master acknowledged that Wawrinka has grown as player over the last 18 months. "He's (Stan is) a clutch player now. At the US Open (against Djokovic) 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, trying to reach his second Australian Open final, beat Federer when they last met in a Grand Slam, at last year's French Open. However, Federer should fancy his chances against the younger Swiss; he owns a 18-3 head-to-head record and a telling 13-0 record on hard courts. Federer also beat Wawrinka during the 2014 Wimbledon quarter-finals despite losing the first set.

During the 2015 US Open semi-finals, Federer beat Wawrinka in straight sets. Recalling that day, Wawrinka said that a lot has changed in the last year-and-a-half. “He (Federer) was playing way better than me, moving really well, really aggressive from the court. I'm more confident with myself. When I step on the court, doesn't matter who I play, I know what I have to do if I want to win,” said the World No. 4, who beat Novak Djokovic in the 2016 US Open finals for his career third Grand Slam.

The winner will advance to face either Rafael Nadal or Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday's final. The tennis world is clamouring for a possible Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal showdown. Nadal will face Dimitrov in the second men's semi-final on Friday.

Watch Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka live stream: How to watch

Time: 08:30 (GMT), 6:30 PM (AEST), 7:30 PM (AEDT), 3:30 AM (ET)
On TV: Channel 7, 7TWO and 7mate (Australia), ESPN 2 (USA)
Live Stream: 7 TENNIS app (Australia), Watch ESPN (USA), Official website (Global)

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