Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com looks at the third through fifth best Grand Slam matches of the 2017 season.

5. Wawrinka def. Murray, Roland Garros, Semi-finals – 9 June 2017 (Match Stats)

Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have been top contenders at the Grand Slams for years, and you’d expect the same knowing they were the first and third seeds, respectively, at Roland Garros. But neither star was in top form when they arrived on Paris’ terre battue this season.

The Scot was just 5-4 on clay heading into the second major of the year, and he was also trying to find his game after dealing with an elbow injury. “I came in playing garbage,” Murray joked after his quarter-final victory.

On the other side of the court, the 2015 champion arrived having won at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. But he was 2-3 on clay in 2017 before that title.

So in a way, advancing to the semi-finals was a strong result for both players. But after Murray somehow snuck ahead with a two sets to one lead despite Wawrinka holding leads in each of the first three sets, it was the Swiss who reached his second Roland Garros final in three years with a 6-7(6), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-1 victory. (Read Match Report)

In the first few sets, Murray played jaw-dropping defense to stay in points against Wawrinka, using neutralising depth to turn defense into offense, especially in key moments. But as the four-hour, 34-minute clash wore on, Wawrinka’s power was overwhelming, and he fittingly ended it with a lasered one-handed backhand winner.

“I think it was mentally a tough battle today, especially in five sets against Andy,” Wawrinka said. “I’m happy with what I did on the court, the way I was fighting, even if I was down. The way I was trying to keep my line, trying to keep being aggressive, keep going even if I lost a lot of points by some incredible defense from him. But you know what’s happening when you play in a semi. You have to accept it. You just need to keep fighting and keep going for it.”

Wawrinka served for the first set at 5-3 and held a set point at 6-5 in the tie-break before losing it, and also led by a break on two separate occasions (2-0 and 4-2) in the third set before dropping five of the final six games to fall into a hole. But in the fourth set, neither player broke and all it took was one strong tie-break from Wawrinka to even the score and gain all the momentum and confidence he needed to run away with the match.

“I was one tie-break away from getting to the final when I came in really struggling. So I have to be proud of that,” Murray said. “Maybe the lack of matches hurt me a little bit in the end today. That was a very high intensity match. A lot of long points. When you haven’t been playing loads, you know, over four, four-and-a-half hours, that can catch up to you a little bit. So, I only have myself to blame for that, for the way I played coming into the tournament.”

4. Muller def. Nadal, Wimbledon, Round of 16 – 10 July 2017 (Match Stats)

Beating Rafael Nadal at a Grand Slam is never easy. Doing it at the same major twice in a career is even harder, especially right after the Spaniard won his 10th Roland Garros trophy and his third without dropping a set.

So it was no surprise that Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller did not cruise past the fourth-seeded Nadal after capturing the first two sets in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon this year. But it was a shock that in a marathon fifth set, it was Muller who prevailed to clinch this fourth-round battle 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13, his second win at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club against Nadal (2005). (Read Match Report)

In the first two sets, the crafty server dropped just six total points on his first delivery, and saved all three break points he faced. The 34-year-old took advantage of two of the three break opportunities he earned, and that was all he needed to take a commanding lead.

But Nadal, who had come back from two sets down on three previous occasions and at one point in his career won 13 of 14 five-setters, stormed back and won the third and fourth sets in a combined 80 minutes to force a decider. The Spaniard lost just eight points during that time and appeared back on track.

Yet after more than two hours and 18 games, it was Muller who came out victorious in the fifth set, advancing to his second Grand Slam quarter-final.

“It’s definitely one of the biggest, if not the biggest,” said Muller of the importance of the win in his career.

Inevitably, as you would expect from a 15-13 fifth set, both players had their chances in the decider, which was longer than the second through fourth sets combined.

Muller earned his first two match points on Nadal’s serve at 5-4. Little did he know that the set was not yet halfway over.

“I just told myself, Look, I mean, I’m doing the best I can. I’m playing well. Just hang in there and you’re going to get your chances,” Muller said. “Got a few of them. Didn’t take the first ones. But still kept believing. Yeah, somehow in the end I made it.”

After saving one break point at 6-6 and four more at 9-9, Muller would not face break point again. He converted on his fifth match point.

It was the fourth time that Muller, who would lose to eventual finalist Marin Cilic, had beaten a Top 5 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings. And all four of those victories came at a Grand Slam event, with both of his triumphs over Nadal occurring at Wimbledon (2005).

And while the result was a surprise, it was not like Muller came out of nowhere. Luxembourg’s star claimed a title on grass just weeks earlier at the Ricoh Open, and advanced to the semi-finals at The Queen’s Club in the Aegon Championships. Muller also won his first career trophy on the ATP World Tour at the Sydney International in January.

3. Nadal def. Dimitrov, Australian Open, Semi-finals –  27 January 2017 (Match Stats)

Only one player can win a tennis match. But in this Grand Slam semi-final, both competitors walked off the court with heads held high.

After a titanic four-hour, 56-minute battle, Rafael Nadal advanced to the Australian Open final with a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 victory against an impressive Grigor Dimitrov. (Read Match Report)

There was not much to separate the two players. There was even a span of 26 consecutive games without a break of serve. But throughout, both competitors were unafraid to step in and take a rip at the ball.

The pair split intense tie-breaks in the third (Nadal) and fourth (Dimitrov) sets, meaning they would play one set to reach the final, which would have been Dimitrov’s first at a Grand Slam.

After the 26-year-old escaped a 15/40 hole in the finale’s opening game, he regained his rhythm, being aggressive on the backhand side to help set up his forehand. And at 4-3, 15/40 on Nadal’s serve, the Bulgarian hit a solid return to push the left-hander back. But the Spaniard found some of his best tennis, hitting a backhand winner down the line later in the rally before saving his second break point with a forehand volley.

In the very next game, at 4-4, Nadal was at his stunning best. He claimed the decisive break with a backhand winner and that was the only advantage he would need to close out the classic.

“I think Grigor played great. I played great. So [it] was a great quality of tennis tonight,” Nadal said. “I think both of us deserve to be in that final. [It] was a great fight.”

And while the Bulgarian lost the match, he gained the confidence that would lead him to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and later in the year the Nitto ATP Finals trophy in his debut at The O2. Dimitrov went shot-for-shot with Nadal for nearly five hours, and if he would have found a way to claim one of his two break opportunities while up 4-3 in the fifth set, the match might have ended differently.

“It’s never easy to lose a match like that,” Dimitrov said. “For sure Rafa deserves pretty much all the credit right now since he’s such a fighter, such a competitor. At the same time it was an honour for me to play a match like that against him. It also shows me that I’m in a good way, I’m on the right path.”

Nadal would go on to lose another epic against Roger Federer in the final, their first Grand Slam championship match against one another since 2011 Roland Garros.

Come back on Thursday for the Top 2 Grand Slam matches of 2017

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com looks at the best two ATP World Tour matches of the 2017 season.

2) Thiem d. Dimitrov, Mutua Madrid Open, Third Round – 11 May 2017 (Match Stats)
For power hitting, intensity and momentum shifts, Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov’s epic third-round clash in Madrid was both thrilling and cruel. Thiem, on his favourite surface, competed with great heart and conviction in saving five match points to edge past Dimitrov, who also owns a devastating single-handed backhand, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(9) over two hours and 34 minutes of intense tennis. Thiem rallied from a 1-3 deficit in the second set, from 2-4 in the third set, then held off match points at 3/6, 6/7 and 8/9 in the tie-break before converting his second opportunity on a Dimitrov backhand error. Read & Watch Highlights

“I think it was a very good match from both of us,” said Thiem. “The tie-break in the third set was amazing. That’s the bad thing about tennis, only one guy can win. I don’t always play good in the important points, but today yes. I saved five match points. I don’t know if I ever saved that many match points in one match, so it’s a really good feeling.”

With the crowd swelling in numbers, as the third-set tie-break drew closer, it was a case of which player wanted it more. Thiem appeared comfortable in returning deep behind the baseline — standing alongside the line judges — and allowed Dimitrov control of the baseline. At 3/6 in the tie-break, Thiem proved to be confident, highlighting just why he has become one of the sport’s leading clay-courters over the past two years. Dimitrov served for the match at 6/5, but struck a forehand wide, and at 6/7 on Thiem’s serve, doubt began to invade the Bulgarian’s game.

Although Dimitrov saved one match point at 7/8, Thiem held his nerve, wrestling control away from his opponent with clarity of thought and stroke. The margin of victory was slim in a terrific duel (Thiem won 112 points to 111, with Dimitrov winning 18 of his 21 net points), but it was Thiem who exacted revenge for Dimitrov’s Brisbane International presented by Suncorp quarter-final win in January. The Austrian went on to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final (l. to Nadal).

Watch Full Match Replay At TennisTV

1) Federer d. Kyrgios, Miami Open presented by Itau, Semi-finals – 31 March 2017 (Match Stats)
Opposites in temperament and playing styles, but both exciting and undeniably box office. A standing-room only crowd turned out for Roger Federer and Nick Kyrgios in an eagerly anticipated and electrifying semi-final clash. In three tie-break sets of high energy, brilliant shot making and pulsating drama, Federer saved set points and Kyrgios saved match points, before the Swiss superstar came out on top over Kyrgios 7-6(9), 6-7(9), 7-6(5) in the Key Biscayne night. The epic had come two weeks on from their aborted BNP Paribas Open quarter-final, when Kyrgios withdrew prior to the match due to illness. Read & Watch Highlights

“It did feel very good, because you don’t very often play three breakers in a match,” said Federer. “It’s nice to win those and winning breakers is always such a thrill. It’s great winning this way, especially because I remember the loss against him a few years ago. It was rough.”

Bursts of emotion from 21-year-old Kyrgios in reaction to Federer’s clean striking almost dented his chances in the first set, yet the Australian remained calm when it mattered most, saving a set point at 5-6 with an ace and two more in the tie-break at 5/6 and 6/7 with some big hitting. Federer also showed off his trademark steely nerves in the tie-break, saving a set point at 7/8 and again at 8/9 with a backhand winner down the line. However, the Aussie’s penchant for going for broke at crucial moments cost him the opening set. He rolled the dice on a big second serve at 9/9 and missed badly, handing Federer a third set point opportunity. The 35-year-old Swiss star made good on his chance, wrapping up the set as Kyrgios sent a backhand into the doubles alley.

The drama remained at maximum levels in the second-set tie-break, with a slice backhand from Federer on match point at 6/5 floating just long as Kyrgios could only stand at the net and watch. On his second match point at 8/7, Federer dumped an 88 mile per hour second serve into the bottom of the net as the crowd groaned in unison. Kyrgios wouldn’t allow Federer another opportunity, firing an ace at 10/9 and looking to his box in celebration at levelling the match.

The third set, which lasted one hour, fittingly resulted in a sixth straight tie-break for Federer and Kyrgios, with the crowd on their feet to applaud the efforts of both players. Their previous clash at the Mutua Madrid Open in May 2015 also produced a similar scoreline, with Kyrgios saving two match points to take a 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12) victory. However, Kyrgios didn’t learn his lesson from the first set of the Miami brawl with Federer, gambling with a 128 mph second serve at 5/5 and ultimately hitting a double fault for his most costly shot of the night. Kyrgios’ risk proved to be Federer’s reward, with the fourth seed hitting a big first serve to wrap up the match in three hours and 10 minutes. At the net, they shared a warm exchange.

“I feel like my level of tennis has always been high, but mentally I’m competing for every point now,” said Kyrgios. “That’s making the difference. I showed a lot of fight. Obviously, I’m an emotional guy. I had some ups and downs, a bit of a roller coaster, but ultimately I think I put in a good performance. I think I’ve made an effort to try and put in [the work] every day. I’ve got a great team with me. Every day we’re on the practice court trying to have fun.”

Watch Full Match Replay At TennisTV