MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic continued his run of Grand Slam success against Roger Federer, and this time there was little suspense.
In the Wimbledon final last year, Djokovic had to save two match points and fend off attack after attack in the fifth set before prevailing in one of the best matches of the 2010s.
But Djokovic did not drop a set in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Thursday night, securing a spot in the final with a 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Federer.
Djokovic has never lost a final in Melbourne, winning a record seven Australian Open singles titles.
Ranked No. 2, he can reclaim the No. 1 spot from Rafael Nadal by winning his eighth title on Sunday. He will face the winner of Friday’s second semifinal between two members of tennis’s next wave: Dominic Thiem, 26, and Alexander Zverev, 22.
But Thursday night was all about the old guard, as the sun set after a day when the temperature spiked to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).
This was the 50th singles match between Djokovic, 32, and Federer, 38. Federer has won his share of best-of-three-set matches in recent years, most recently at the ATP Finals in November, but he has not beaten Djokovic in a best-of-five-set match or Grand Slam tournament since the 2012 Wimbledon semifinals.
There was some question about whether Federer would be able to play on Thursday. He felt pain in his groin during his quarterfinal victory over the American Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday, a five-set match in which Federer saved seven match points.
He rested instead of practicing on Wednesday and sought medical treatment, but once on court, he sprinted from the gates, ripping winners and timing the ball beautifully just off the bounce.
Djokovic grimaced and gesticulated as the shots flew by. But he has been on a roll in Australia so far this year, leading Serbia to the ATP Cup title and rolling through his draw at the Australian Open.
This match turned for good with Djokovic down 1-4 and 0-40 on his serve in the first set as he escaped trouble. He went on to win the 62-minute set by dominating the tiebreaker.
“I just want to say respect to Roger for coming out tonight,” Djokovic said. “He obviously was hurt and wasn’t close, even close to his best in terms of movement. Respect for coming out and trying his best all the way through.”
There were still shouts of “Roger!” and “Nole!” after that first set, still some flourishes from Federer, including a lunging backhand stab-volley, drop-shot winner.
But Djokovic was too quick, too steady and too versatile, and he ran out the victory. He now holds a 27-23 edge over Federer and will be in position on Sunday to close the gap with his longtime rival in Grand Slam singles titles.
Federer has 20, a men’s record. Djokovic has 16.
Source: Tennis - nytimes.com
