A distraught Andre Agassi after losing to Marat Safin in the Australian Open semi-finals in Melbourne on Thursday. (Reuters)

Melbourne: Marat Safin and Andre Agassi traded withering blows for nearly four hours on Thursday until the Russian emerged victorious in five sets over the champion to reach his second Australian Open final.

Forty-eight hours after toppling world No. 1 Andy Roddick in five sets, Safin became the first man in five years to beat Agassi at Melbourne Park.

“I don’t know how to describe how I am feeling... I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head after the 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 1-6, 6-3 win.

“That was one of my best matches in my whole life. I’m barely standing right now but you have to... you have to give 100 per cent. I don’t have anything inside me right now but there’s not many matches to go so you have to give everything.”

Safin’s performance made a mockery of his world ranking of 86 — due to an injury-plagued 2003 — and Sunday’s opponent will be only too aware he is back at the pinnacle of the sport.

A former world No. 1 and US Open champion, Safin will play either Wimbledon champion Roger Federer or French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final.

“Either one of them can win that match, it is impossible to say,” Safin smiled. “But don’t worry about me, there’s two days to go, I’ll be fine, and I hope I have a great final.”

Safin’s heroics stole the show from Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters. The top two women’s seeds had earlier slotted into their allotted places in Saturday’s final, ensuring a third all-Belgian final in the last four grand slams.

Agassi had been chasing a fifth Australian Open crown, and on paper looked a strong favourite under Melbourne Park floodlights.

He had not lost at Melbourne Park in 26 matches — last a loser in 1999 in the fourth round to compatriot Vince Spadea.

Safin’s record last year was patchy to say the least, winning just 12 matches and losing 11 in 2003. But for three hours and 42 minutes, Safin threw everything at the American, soaked up every body blow clinched the momentous win on his first match point with a pummelling backhand pass.

“It’s a great win... to beat Andre like this, he’s a hell of a player. This is one of my greatest wins.”

Agassi acknowledged the Russian’s superiority.

“Marat played at an incredibly high level,” the 33-year-old said. “But I had my chances in both the first and second sets and didn’t take them. That’s a big hole to be two sets down and then the fifth was just a break of serve.

“I felt like I had the momentum in the fifth set. I felt pretty good about my chances at that point. But when a guy has a weapon like that, he was serving so well tonight, you can get through so many games without spending that energy and hitting those crucial nervous shots, where you force a guy to do something,” he said.

“Credit to the way he played. It was a high standard from start to finish.”

The four-time champion said he had every intention of returning next year for another tilt at the title, even though he will be approaching his 35th birthday then.

“That’s the plan now,” he said. “But you know, a year is a long time.”