Published>Wed, Jan 27 10 06:53 PM
Roger Federer showed class always has the last word when he let his racket do the talking to knock Nikolay Davydenko out of the Australian Open.
The Russian had reached the quarter-finals on a platform of thumping victories and good old-fashioned bluster but on Wednesday the Swiss maestro silenced him on the court.
For all Davydenko's pre-match banter about scared top 10 opponents, the world number one calmly recovered from a set and a break down to carve out a 2-6 6-3 6-0 7-5 victory.
"I knew I wasn't looking very good, you know. But that's the beauty of the best of five sets," Federer told reporters.
"I wasn't panicking, even though I maybe would have lost the second set had I lost another point there at that stage (3-1 down)."
Before the match Davydenko said he did not feel intimidated by Federer, with the Russian having broken a 12-match losing streak against the Swiss when he beat him at the ATP Tour Finals in London before repeating his success in Doha a month later.
But after losing 13 straight games to Federer in their 2-1/2 hour match on Wednesday, Davydenko may feel some trepidation before their next encounter.
BREEZY BRAVADO
Federer, when last week goaded by reporters to respond to Davydenko's breezy bravado, merely said he respected the Russian as he did "a hundred other players on the tour".
The Swiss knew that he had four out of four wins against the Russian at grand slams, where mid-match momentum shifts are a dime a dozen and hot streaks can quickly fizzle out.
"I knew I had time on my side," said Federer, who now faces Novak Djokovic or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the final.
"I don't care if I was in the positives or the negatives (with the statistics). What matters is how you play your opponent, and the wind and tactics and everything. There are so many more important things, you know."
The win gave Federer, who lost in the final to Rafael Nadal last year, his 23rd consecutive grand slam semi-final appearance, an extraordinary run dating back to 2004.
Federer, never one to mask his emotions, was proud of the achievement but said he was scared it would not happen.
"It's incredible looking back on how many years that is now I'm able to deliver at grand slam play, especially, you know, this year.
"So for some reason I was just a bit worried I was not going to make it this time in the semis. You always believe the streak is going to be broken.
"Now, obviously, it's safe again and I've been able to add one. It's amazing."
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