MELBOURNE, Australia - Defending champion Stan Wawrinka advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori on Wednesday.

Wawrinka, who beat Rafael Nadal last year in the final for his first Grand Slam title, will play top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the semifinals on Friday.

Wawrinka and Nishikori last met in the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2014 when Nishikori won in five sets.

In the third-set tiebreaker, Wawrinka raced to a 4-0 and 6-1 lead before Nishikori saved five match points to level the score at 6-all. But Nishikori tried a drop shot that didn't clear the net to set up another match point, which Wawrinka converted with an ace, his 20th of the match.