Wawrinka fells Berdych to reach first grand slam final

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates winning the third set in his men's singles semi-final match against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic at the Australian Open 2014 tennis tournament in Melbourne January 23, 2014. REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Stanislas Wawrinka will bid to break the 'Big Four' strangle-hold on grand slam silverware after edging Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(3) 7-6(4) in a serving war on Thursday to reach the Australian Open final.

In a slow-burning contest that occasionally roared to life, the Swiss eighth seed stepped up on big points on a tense night at Rod Laver Arena, reaching his first major final where he will meet either Rafa Nadal or compatriot Roger Federer.