What to Watch on Wednesday, Day 11 at the Australian Open

Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet at the Australian Open for the first time since 2011, with a spot in the final awaiting the victor at Melbourne Park.

Williams, who also beat 2008 champion Sharapova in the final here last year, also won the French Open and Wimbledon in 2015 and got within two wins of a calendar-year Grand Slam before losing in the U.S. Open finals.

Williams has won the title each the six previous times she’s won in the quarterfinals here.

Djokovic’s mark is nearly as good – he’s 5-0 in semifinals, and in finals, in the season’s first major.

The top seed overcame Nishikori in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, while Federer was in top form earlier to quell the threat of sixth seed Tomas Berdych 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4.

“These two guys also made me the player I am today”.

“It’s not a stat that’s set in stone”, Williams said.

This will be the first meeting between Federer and Djokovic in a major tournament this year, and based on what we have seen in recent times between the 2 players, we are in for an incredible match between 2 of the most talented players that the tennis world has ever seen.

“At this level you’re always asking a lot from yourself”. Williams had 13 aces, hit 31 winners to 11, and broke Sharapovas serve four times.“She played quite explosive, ” Sharapova said.

“Against Serena, as we all know, the return is one of her great strengths”.

The match is scheduled to be the first night session match on the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday(Not before 7:30 PM) and with forecasts of rain in Melbourne, the roof will likely be closed which implies slower conditions that would definitely favor Djokovic. It cost her in the eighth game when she had three break-point chances, taking the high-risk rather than the high-percentage option with her return. Sharapova hasn’t given up hope of breaking a drought against Serena that goes back to 2004.

“It’s motivating because she’s at a different level”.

“He’s one of the guys that makes you play better, he’s beaten me on some of the biggest courts around the world”. The court, says Norman, “is good for Roger because it’s a little quick”.

Considering he has had the upper hand in best-of-five matches against Federer recently, many predict yet another Djokovic victory today. But Djokovic owns their last three Slam meetings, at Wimbledon in 2014 and 2015 and the U.S. Open in 2015.

Meanwhile, Federer admitted it would mean a lot to him to emerge victorious over a dominating Djokovic.

Djokovic swept past Nishikori in two hours and seven minutes.

On both occasions, Federer lost to Djokovic in four sets, making up two of his five defeats (in eight matches) against the Serb past year.

“That was the goal, to decrease the unforced errors ratio”, Djokovic said. “In important moments I stayed composed — overall it was a very solid performance.“I have to be satisfied — I reached (the) semifinals. I reached the semifinals. “She’s an incredibly intense, focused player who was No. 1 and has won so many Grand Slams for a reason”. His style and grace, his elegant one-handed backhand and his ability to craft shots that make the crowd gasp are enough to make you believe that age is irrelevant.

In men’s doubles action, Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American partner Jack Sock lost their quarter-final match to Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in three sets. The victor will face either Williams or Radwanska in the finals on Saturday.