TENNIS in DEPTH.

Roger Federer powered to a 12th consecutive victory over Mikhail Youzhny, a result which seals the four-time champion’s place in the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships. The Swiss world No 3, who has not won the ATP 500 event since 2007, moved within two wins of a fifth title after posting an impressive 6-3 6-4 victory over the Russian. A solitary break of serve in each set was good enough for Federer, who improved his head-to-head record over Youzhny to a remarkable 12-0 without fending off a single break point. Speaking after the win, Federer said: “I thought Mikhail was making a lot of chances. It just didn’t go his way. ”I just played well on my service games and I think the speed of the courts here helps with that. ”I think I also have a good focus this week. So I have to keep it up if I want to win the title.”

Federer will face eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the last four after the Argentinian defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 6-2. Del Potro defeated Tsonga on his way to the Open 13 title in Marseille last week and had little trouble completing a second win in quick succession against the Frenchman. Although the first set was a closely-fought affair, Del Potro was clearly a class above in the second and eventually eased to a comfortable win. Del Potro holds a 2-9 mark versus Federer, having lost their past three meetings. ”All the matches are different, all tournaments are different, [so] I’m trying to find a way to beat again him,” del Potro said. ”His game is really difficult for me. He plays slices, dropshots, and he’s one of the best in history. So I just want to be ready for fight and to see how I’m going to play against him.”

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic recorded a first straight-sets victory over good friend Janko Tipsarevic to book a last-four date with Briton Andy Murray, who put out Tomas Berdych. The world No 1 won the all-Serbian quarter-final 6-1 7-6 (8-6). The Serb powered his way through the opening set before staving off a set point to edge Jankovic, who coughed up two double faults, in the tie-breaker. ”I thought I started really well,” Djokovic told the ATP Tour website. “He was missing first serves, didn’t have a high percentage. ”Then in the second set, whenever I had a break ball he served well. So he was very close to take that second set. Then who knows what could have happened. We both got a little bit nervous towards the end, I guess, and it was just luck to prevail.” As for his clash with Murray, he said: “Every time you play, especially top four, it’s a big challenge for both of us. ”Especially after that Australian Open thrilling match that lasted for five hours. It’s going to be a good match. We both look forward to that. We always try to win against each other and it’s a great rivalry.”

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Roger Federer reached the ABN Amro World Tennis final with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Nikolay Davydenko on Saturday. Federer, playing in Rotterdam for the first time since capturing the 2005 title, will play for the championship Sunday against Juan Martin del Potro. The third-seeded Argentine downed second-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-1 in the other semifinal. Del Potro, making his first Rotterdam appearance, will be seeking his first title since last May at Estoril. He has beaten Federer only twice in 10 matches and lost to the Swiss star in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Davydenko made a strong start, breaking Federer in the ninth game before holding his serve to claim the first set. The Russian forced another break in the third game of the second set but Federer broke back at 2-3 to take control. Federer still had to overcome three break points while trailing Davydenko 4-3 in the final set. “It’s good to see Davydenko back at this playing level,” Federer said. “Fortunately for me, he wasn’t good enough to knock me out.”

Del Potro broke his Czech opponent in the opening game before making another break at 5-3 to take the first set. In the one-sided second set, the Argentine took a 5-0 lead, then surrendered a game and completed the rout on his ninth ace of the match.

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One of the biggest shocks in recent Davis Cup history was completed on Saturday afternoon when the US doubles team of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets to see the Americans through to April’s quarterfinals. The reverberations from John Isner’s stunning win over Federer on Friday night carried through to the doubles, which followed a very similar pattern to the Isner-Federer singles. The Swiss won the opening set and looked reasonably comfortable for a set and a half, but once the Americans had broken, the balance of power shifted, and Federer in particular fell away at the end as the US pair won 46 63 63 63 in 2 hours 18 minutes. Because so much was made of Federer’s return to the Davis Cup first round for the first time in eight years, it’s easy to see this result as a disaster for the Swiss. A disappointment it certainly is, but to view it as a disaster would be to take too much credit away from an American team that seems finally to have lost its fear of away clay.

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For the first time in eight years, Roger Federer has made himself available for the first round. The 16-time Grand Slam champion leads a Swiss team on indoor clay here in Fribourg, about 20 minutes by train from the Swiss capital, Bern, against an American team missing the injured Andy Roddick. Federer’s presence, alongside that of his Olympic gold medal doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka, makes Switzerland one of the leading nations in this year’s competition – always presuming Federer plays beyond this weekend. “It’s just another tie for me,” he said, “it doesn’t matter when and where it is, it’s all a matter of priorities. My team is a group of great friends, that’s what I enjoy about it, that I can spend some time with them, and hopefully try to win but if we don’t it doesn’t matter. It’s about trying your best and having a good time.” If nothing else, his approach helps keep the focus on this weekend, in which he and Wawrinka are nominated to play on all three days.

Realistically, for the US to win, Fish has to beat Wawrinka in the opening match. There is also a belief that Ryan Harrison’s nomination alongside Mike Bryan is a ploy to keep the Swiss guessing, and even the American captain Jim Courier says the length of matches Fish and Isner play on the opening day will influence his ultimate choice of doubles pair. That suggests Fish could well team up with Mike Bryan, the way he did in September 2008 when the two Americans beat Spain’s Lopez/Verdasco on the clay of Madrid. Any suggestion it might be asking too much of Fish to play on all three days is refuted by his performance in September 2010, when he played two singles five-setters and a four-set doubles on the clay of Bogota to help the USA beat Colombia. With Federer playing, the visitors are clearly the underdogs, but there is a good spirit in the American team. And Fish makes an interesting point: “We like our chances here. We have the most uncomfortable player on our team in Isner, and I’m certainly glad I’m not playing him.”

Friday

R1: Wawrinka (SUI) v Fish (USA)

R2: Federer (SUI) v Isner (USA)

Saturday

R3: Federer / Wawrinka (SUI) v M. Bryan / Harrison (USA)

Sunday

R4: Federer (SUI) v Fish (USA)

R5: Wawrinka (SUI) v Isner (USA)

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Federer won a tense tie-break to draw first blood, but Nadal stormed back to clinch the second set 6-2 and level up the match. The Spaniard then edged a third-set tie-break to go two sets to one up before taking the fourth 6-4 to close out victory. The two giants of the men’s game were expected to produce fireworks under the Melbourne lights on Australia Day. And they didn’t disappoint in an epic opener which lasted 56 enthralling minutes. Federer was out of the blocks quickly, producing some imperious tennis to break Nadal in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead. But the Spaniard held his nerve and gradually found a foothold in the match, breaking back in the seventh game. Both men then regained dominance on their serve to take the opener into a tie-break. Federer produced a magnificent deep forehand volley and a sublime backhand half-volley to give himself three set points at 6-3 in the break. And although Nadal saved two – one with a ridiculous forehand – he was long with a backhand on the third.

The second set opened with back-to-back love breaks, and then went with serve until Nadal went into overdrive at 3-2 up. First the Spaniard produced an incredible forehand get to headline a crucial break of serve, and then held for 5-2. After a brief break for a firework display Nadal continued to produce his own on-court pyrotechnics by breaking Federer to love again to clinch the set 6-2.

The third set went with serve to 3-3, when Federer broke for a 4-3 lead. But Nadal hit back immediately to send things heading towards the inevitable tie-break. Federer’s increasingly regular errors gave Nadal the early advantage and he raced into a 6-1 lead in the breaker. And though Federer fought back gamely to 6-5, the Spaniard held his nerve to close out the set.

The fourth set went with serve until the ninth game, when Nadal – who had created several opportunities in Federer’s earlier service games – finally found a way through. Nadal had to save two break-back points – one thanks to an outrageous lob that landed on the baseline – when he served for the match, but eventually completed victory on his second match point when Federer sent the ball long.

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Roger Federer progressed to the semi-finals of the Australian Open with an imperious straight-sets victory over 11th seed Juan Martin del Potro. The third seed needed just under two hours to complete a 6-4 6-3 6-2 win. Del Potro was broken early in all three sets and had no answer to the variety of Federer’s play, with the Swiss yet to lose a set in Melbourne. Federer will play the winner of the quarter-final between second seed Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych.

“I thought it was a great match,” said the 16-time Grand Slam champion after a fitting conclusion to his 1,000th match. ”I’m happy. It was tough with the sun and shade creeping across the court. Del Potro is a quality player and I was able to manoeuvre the ball around the court. I hope I can keep it up.”

Federer, competing in his 31st straight Grand Slam quarter-final, had little trouble in disposing of the Argentine in their first meeting in a major tournament since Del Potro’s victory in the final of the US Open in 2009. The Swiss had a slight wobble in the second set, surviving four break points, before resuming his dominance to break in the opening game of the third set and bringing the match to a conclusion with a sumptuous backhand winner.

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Nadal rarely needed to hit top form in beating his fellow Spaniard 6-4 6-4 6-2 on a sweltering Rod Laver Arena. The second seed next plays seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Nicolas Almagro in a stormy match. Federer ended Australian Tomic’s hopes with a dominant 6-4 6-2 6-2 win to set up a match with Juan Martin del Potro. I did what I had to do to win in straight sets and, against a really good player, that’s very positive for me. I’m feeling fine,” said Nadal, who had strapping on his right knee and left foot and has now reached the quarter-final stage without dropping a set for the fourth time in five years. ”It’s positive to keep winning in straight sets, especially in these conditions. It was a very, very hot day. Nadal’s all-round game was too much for 18th seed Lopez, whose passive approach played into his compatriot’s hands.

Bidding for his 17th Grand Slam title, Federer was ruthless in his victory over crowd favourite Tomic, 19. The 30-year-old, who has not lost to a teenager since 2006, broke the Australian six times to advance to his 31st consecutive quarter-final where he will face Del Potro of Argentina.”I thought I played a really good match,” said four-time Australian Open champion Federer. “I knew I had to. Anything else wouldn’t have done the job.”

Del Potro overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since winning the 2009 US Open. With his wrist problems finally in the past, the 11th seed from Argentina saw off German Kohlschreiber 6-4 6-2 6-1.

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Kim Clijsters retired from her semifinal match against Daniela Hantuchova at the Brisbane International on Friday one game after taking a medical time out for a left hip injury. Clijsters won the opening set 7-6 (4), but surrendered a break at the start of the second set and needed treatment after the third game. She came back on court for one game before walking to the net and telling Hantuchova she couldn’t continue after falling behind 3-1. Hantuchova has had a truncated run into Saturday’s final, getting a walkover in the quarterfinals when 13-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament after injuring her left ankle while winning a second-round match. Hantuchova will next play Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who beat 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-3, 6-0.

Roger Federer has pulled out of his semifinal match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Qatar Open because of a back injury. The 16-time Grand Slam champion says his back has not improved since beating Andreas Seppi in three sets on Thursday. Rafael Nadal will meet Gael Monfils in the other semifinal match.

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