MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Defending champion Novak Djokovic saw off brave Andy Murray in five thrilling sets yesterday to reach the Australian Open final and stay on course for his third straight major title.

In a marathon match of 4hours and 50 minutes, nudging the tournament record, the Serbian top seed stormed back from a set down to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 7-5 and set up a final with Rafael Nadal tomorrow.

Djokovic, 24, now gets a shot at his third Australian Open title, while Murray extends his quest for Britain’s first male grand slam title in 76 years.

But the Scot took pride in his turnaround from last year’s final, in which he was floored in straight sets by the Serb.

The rollercoaster match of long rallies, with 155 unforced errors and 18 service breaks, came down to a gripping fifth set in which Djokovic drew first blood, breaking in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead.

But the Scot refused to buckle, thrillingly breaking Djokovic as he served for the match at 5-3 and sending the packed Rod Laver Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Murray levelled at 5-5 with a service hold and then had three break points to move ahead, but he let the crucial opportunity slip through his fingers.

It left the Scot needing to hold serve to stay in the match but he slipped to 15-40, and a forehand on the stretch into the net saw Djokovic over the line and into the final.