Federer through to final four

Roger Federer has fired a warning shot at his potential challengers in the Australian Open final four after a ruthless deconstruction of sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko in their quarter-final on Wednesday.

Despite a poor start that saw Federer lose the first set and face a double break in the second, the world No. 1 surged back into the match and finished off the Russian 2-6 6-3 6-0 7-5 in two hours and 36 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

The win extends Federer’s remarkable Grand Slam semi-final run to 23 consecutive appearances in the final four. The last time he wasn’t in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam was at Roland Garros in 2004.

After the match, Federer said he was struggling with Davydenko’s intensity and the sun shining across the court early in the match.

“I just tried to stay positive. I knew that hopefully when the sun goes, it may be for the better. It was a surprise to come back that great,” he said.

Federer looked out of sorts in the first set, as he struggled to hold serve in the opening game of the match before dropping it in the third game.

The in-form Davydenko then managed to break the Swiss again to race away with the first set in just 34 minutes, with Federer hitting frequent errors and only managing to feed the Russian fairly straightforward balls up the centre of the court.

The second set looked to be a continuation of the first, as Davydenko broke Federer’s serve and threatened to break a second time at 3-1 up.

However, Federer fought off two break points to hold serve in what would be a turning point in the match.

The world No. 1 then went on a 13-game tear as Davydenko’s error rate increased markedly while Federer’s confidence grew.

After claiming the second set 6-3, the Swiss raced through the third 6-0 in a set where Davydenko managed only seven points.

A break up in the fourth and still feeding off the Russian’s errors, Federer looked like he would close out the match easily. However, Davydenko fought back to break Federer twice late in the last set, adopting a more aggressive style against the Swiss.

Federer was equal to Davydenko’s challenge, though, and broke back to lead 6-5 before serving out the match to love in the following game.

Fast facts

- Both players had 35 winners, while Davydenko had 50 unforced errors to Federer’s 43.

- Federer served nine aces to Davydenko’s one.

- Davydenko converted just five of 19 break-point chances (26 per cent), while Federer capitalised on eight of his 14 break-point opportunities (57 per cent).

Current Match on Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena - Men's Singles - Quarterfinals Roger Federer SUI (1) 2 6 6 7 Nikolay Davydenko RUS (6) 6 3 0 5 Match Statistics Serve Statistics

Roger Federer defeats Lleyton Hewitt

Federer forced to work in opener

Men’s top seed Roger Federer says he is happy with his first round performance at Australian Open 2010 despite a shaky start that saw him drop a set against Russia’s Igor Andreev at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.

The three-time Australian Open champion overcame a spirited challenge from Andreev to progress to the second round with a 4-6 6-2 7-6(2) 6-0 win.

Federer took two hours and 44 minutes to finally overcome a fighting effort from the world No. 37, but he said he was pleased with his match throughout.

“It was a tough match. I knew from the start it wasn’t going to be an easy one,” he said.

“But I reacted and I think I played a very good match.”

The world No. 1 looked strong early in the first set, breaking Andreev’s serve and racing out to a 3-1 lead.

However, Andreev, looking to emulate the efforts of girlfriend Maria Kirilenko and produce a massive upset at Melbourne Park after Kirilenko defeated Maria Sharapova on Monday, broke back and leveled the set at 3-3 before breaking Federer late in the set and holding to take it 6-4.

Federer’s frustration grew late in the first set, and sporadic errors on straightforward forehands had the Rod Laver Arena crowd sensing a possible upset.

The Swiss put those thoughts somewhat to rest in the second set, dominating Andreev and taking it 6-2 to even the match at 1-1.

Much of the centre court crowd probably expected that the third set would see Federer increase his dominance from the second and push on towards victory, but the Russian refused to allow Federer to run away with the match, and broke to lead 2-1 early in the set.

Federer broke straight back, and the Russian’s unreliable first service cost him dearly as Federer took a 5-3 lead and looked to close out the set.

Two service breaks in a row from Andreev sparked the crowd into life, and all of a sudden, the Russian was serving for the third set.

The 12th game of the set was a story of missed opportunities for Andreev, and it would be a crucial part of the match as he failed to capitalise on three set points.

Federer pounced and forced the tie-break, dominating it 7-2 before grabbing a 2-0 lead in the fourth set that could so easily have been Andreev’s.

The pressure told on Andreev in the fourth set, as Federer was untroubled in claiming it 6-0 to advance to the second round.

Federer admitted that the end of the third set was a key time in the match.

“It was just one of those moments where anything can happen ... after that, he may have just been that one step slower than he had been,” Federer said.

The top seed will now face Juan Ignacio Chela or Victor Hanescu in round two.

Current Match on Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena - Men's Singles - 1st Round Roger Federer SUI (1) 4 6 77 6 Igor Andreev RUS 6 2 62 0 Match Statistics Serve Statistics

Roger Federer defeats Igor Andreev

Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning a point in his first round match against Igor Andreev of Russia.

Federer crushes Wawrinka at AAMI Classic

Roger Federer is in great form heading into the Australian Open, thrashing fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in Kooyong this afternoon.

Tournament: AAMI Classic [Kooyong, Australia]
Category: Exhibition
Date: 17 Jan 2009

......and he got the job done in just 57 minutes. losing 4 games in total!

Continue on for more photos of Fed and the trophy.

Roger Federer Best Picture

Roger Federer Best Picture

Roger Federer Best Style

Top Picture The Roger Federer

Roger Federer Win

Stylish Federer off to impressive start

Roger Federer rises high on his way to a straight sets victory over Yen-Hsun Lu Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu was powerless to prevent Roger Federer surging to a straight sets first round victory

Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on a Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout. It was a highly impressive performance, since Lu did his nation proud with a battling show, especially in a tightly-contested first set. Federer's warm welcome to officially open the 2009 Championships was probably a mixture of affection for the five-time champion and approval for his eye-catching and stylish apparel - long trousers, jacket with the collar turned up and, underneath that, a fitted waistcoat, all in white and all discarded prior to the Swiss marching out to hold his first two service games to love. But if Federer, and the spectators, imagined this was the prelude to a rout, they were wrong. Showing determination and no little skill, the 64th-ranked Lu attacked his distinguished opponent at every opportunity. Lu's ability to battle was best demonstrated in the fourth game of the opening set when he fought off four break points, and followed this up by breaking the Federer serve for a 3-2 lead as the world No.2 netted a backhand. Needing to counter-attack quickly, Federer did just that, although with the help of a little luck. He reached break point with a net cord that fell dead on Lu's side of the netting and was level at 3-3 after the Taipei player's forehand error. Try as he might, Federer could not shake off his tenacious opponent in a tight opening set. Facing a break that would have put Federer 5-3 up, Lu again battled his way clear of danger and it seemed the Swiss might face the indignity of a tiebreak. But at 5-6, and despite serving successive aces, Lu faced a set point when he missed a simple dink volley. Federer needed no further incentive, and a backhand winner put him a set ahead after 48 minutes. Having stamped his authority on the proceedings, Federer raced into a 3-0 lead in the second set before Lu was able to stem the flood of Swiss winners with more brave and impressive attacking that earned him warm applause. But the Swiss was not to be denied, taking a 5-2 lead by swatting aside a couple of break points and holding serve with that tennis rarity - a winner hit around, rather than over, the net, a feat that Federer greeted with another rarity, a raised fist . Federer closed out the second set in rousing fashion, winning the game to love with his seventh ace of the match to go two sets up after one hour and 14 minutes. An early break in the third set allowed Federer to unveil his repertoire of stunning shots and, hard though Lu continued to resist, the Taipei player grew increasingly prone to error. It had been an impressive fight, but Lu was up against a master of the game who had achieved the brightest of starts in pursuit of a record 15th Grand Slam.

Wimbledon: Magical Moments

GORAN IVANISEVIC (2001)

Ivanisevic had already won over the SW19 crowd after finishing as runner-up in three previous finals and, at the age of 29, most felt his chance to conquer Wimbledon had gone. The odds were against him from the start due to a shoulder injury, while he also needed a wild card to get into the tournament having dropped to 125th in the world. But the popular Croatian fought his way through to the final, where he went on to beat Pat Rafter in a five-set epic. To add to the drama, bad weather meant the match was played on the third Monday but the crowds turned out in droves to cheer an emotional Goran on every step of the way.

BJORN BORG v JOHN McENROE (1980)

Borg was aiming to win his fifth successive Wimbledon title, while McEnroe was making his first appearance in the All England Club showpiece. It was an intriguing contest from the very first point but it was the fourth-set tie-break that would go down in history. With Borg leading by two sets to one, McEnroe eventually levelled the match on a tie-break that lasted 22 minutes and saw 34 points contested. In the end it took an uncharacteristic error from Borg to hand the American an 18-16 advantage. The Swede went on to win the match, although McEnroe got his revenge the following year.

RAFAEL NADAL v ROGER FEDERER (2008)

Last year's final was remarkable for several reasons, not least because it saw the top two players in the world slogging it out on Centre Court once more. It was the third All England final in a row between the two, and ultimately needed five sets and 288 minutes of tennis to separate the two, becoming the longest men's singles final in Wimbledon history. Several rain interruptions added to the suspense and the contest finished in near darkness. After Federer had fought back from two sets down, it was Nadal who came out on top in the decider to claim his first Wimbledon trophy and end the Swiss star's five-year dominance of the event.

VIRGINIA WADE (1977)

Wimbledon was marking its centenary, so it was only fitting a Briton should leave their mark on the tournament. At 31, Virginia Wade was considered an outsider in the women's singles draw but overcame Chris Evert in the semi-final before beating Betty Stove in three sets to claim the trophy in front of the Queen in her Silver Jubilee year. Wade remains the last British player to win a senior Wimbledon singles title, although even she was surprised by her success, confessing: "It was my 16th attempt. I'd been trying since 1962. I'd virtually given up."

ARTHUR ASHE (1975)

One of Wimbledon's more unexpected results saw unfancied Arthur Ashe take the crown from defending champion Jimmy Connors. Connors was the overwhelming favourite and had not dropped a set en route to the final. Ashe had survived a five-set tussle in the semis to secure his place in the showpiece. The first two sets took everyone by surprise, though, as Ashe brushed aside his opponent 6-1 in both. Connors fought back to claim the third but Ashe went on to wrap up a 6-1 6-1 5-7 6-4 success, becoming the first black player to win a men's singles title at SW19.

JANA NOVOTNA (1998)

It took three attempts and saw many tears shed along the way but Jana Novotna finally came good in the women's singles final, beating Natalie Tauziat in straight sets. Five years earlier, the Czech had found her way into the hearts of many on Centre Court when she lost the final to Steffi Graf. Then, Novotna had been unable to hold back the tears during the presentation ceremony, famously crying on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent. Novotna had also lost the 1997 final to Martina Hingis but overcame her demons 12 months later to become one of Wimbledon's most popular winners.

We are a day away from the 122-year-old Wimbledon tournament. Here is a look back at some of the best moments.