Djokovic beats Federer to reach Australian final

Federer essentially gifted the match to the world number one, rattling off three unforced errors in the final game and Djokovic would hold for the four-set victory.

The 15 000 spectators barely had time to settle in their seats before Djokovic had sewn up the first set in 22 minutes.

But the end came quickly in the fourth.

Novak Djokovic has easily won the first set 6-1 in his semifinal against Roger Federer on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic has now reached 17 consecutive tournament finals, dating back to last year’s Australian Open.

“I’ve had some moments against him in sets where I’ve played on a high level, but this was I think a different level than from before”. I knew he would be aggressive and try and get into the net.

Superior in every aspect, Djokovic earned the right to face either world No 2 Andy Murray or Canadian 13th seed Milos Raonic in Sunday’s final.

“I’ve seen Novak play this well before”, he said.

He received majority of the crowd support on the Rod Laver Arena.

It set Williams up for a 26th Grand Slam final as she zeroes in on a seventh Australian Open title and a bid to match’s Graf’s record. Djokovic has won the title at Melbourne Park in four of the past five years, with that reign only interrupted by Stan Wawrinka in 2014. At 15/30, the Swiss produced one of the points of the tournament as he chased down a Djokovic lob, then a smash, then a short volley to find the line with a remarkable backhand pass. But it would be the last point he won in the contest. “Whoever wins I m going to be ready for the great battle”.

Williams, 34, has a 5-1 win record against Kerber and vastly more big match experience, but she is not underestimating the threat she faces. Federer pulled one game back at 3-1 but it failed to halt any momentum as the Serb roared back with a thumping forehand to take the fifth game.

She was two matches away from a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2015 when she lost to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals.“Physically Im feeling a lot better, mentally I needed that break after the Open, ” Williams said, but “I didnt think I would do this well this fast.”. Another British player, Johanna Konta, is in the other semifinal against Angelique Kerber.

Williams’ win over fourth-seeded Radwanska provided another yet reminder of her dominance in the women’s game.

Michael Dodge/Getty Images Roger Federer had his hands full against Novak Djokovic.

“I had my little chance in second set, especially when it was 4-all”, she said, “But otherwise just too good”.

Djokovic complimented his opponent on his performance during that point, but noted that he took care to keep the excitement from rattling him. “You can’t underestimate Kerber”, Williams said. I wish I could have played a bit better, and who knows what would have happened.