Melbourne: A dominating win by Roger Federer which was incidentally his 1,000th career victory and a more difficult workout for Rafael Nadal set up a rare Grand Slam marquee semi-final between the former top-ranked players.
Four-time Australian Open champion Federer advanced to his ninth straight semifinal at Melbourne Park with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 quarter-final win on Tuesday over Juan Martin del Potro, the man who beat him for the US Open title in 2009.
Federer's 1,000th win was similar to most in his career — no-nonsense, dominating from the start and some incredible shots.
"It's a lot of matches and a lot tennis. Either I have been around for a long time or I'm extremely fit. You decide which way you want to describe it. But I'm happy,'' said Federer.
In an often tempestuous night match at the Rod Laver Arena, Nadal advanced with a tough 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych.
"Happy with how I finished the match physically, I was able to keep running with high intensity," Nadal said.
Federer and Nadal have not been on opposite halves of the draw since the 2005 French Open. That was the last time the pair met in a Grand Slam semi-final, won that year by Nadal in four sets.
Defending women's champion Kim Clijsters, still dealing with a left ankle injury, advanced to an Australian Open semi-final against third-seeded Victoria Azarenka by beating No 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday. Clijsters' victory ensured that Wozniacki would lose the top ranking she has held for most of the last 15 months.
Azarenka beat No 8 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7 (0), 6-0, 6-2. Azarenka is one of three women who could finish at No 1 in Melbourne — Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova are the others.
In the late match, Nadal saved four set points in the first set, including one on an amazing crosscourt passing shot on the 29th point of a rally. But Berdych held firm to win the ensuing tiebreaker.
During the tiebreaker, a Berdych shot landed out, and Nadal returned it, then challenged the call. Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes wouldn't allow the challenge because Nadal hadn't immediately stopped play, but Nadal responded by saying he didn't challenge immediately because he thought the linesman had called it out.
The replay showed the ball was out.
"Carlos, I'll tell you something, you never get one right, not one correct overrule. You're not here as a spectator. You know that ball was out, Nadal said in Spanish.
Bernardes later had a brief discussion with Berych when the Czech player complained about an apparent "flat" ball. And in the fourth set, Nadal chastised the chair umpire again for allowing a challenge by Berdych, feeling the Czech player waited too long before asking for a review.
In the opening game of the fourth set, Nadal hit consecutive down-the-line forehands to break Berdych's service and the Spaniard was on his way to clinching the match in four hours, 16 minutes.
Federer's career can be enhanced even more if he wins the title this year at Melbourne Park. With a 232-34 record in Grand Slam singles matches, he can overtake Jimmy Connors' mark of 233 wins if he collects the title here.
Del Potro, who has recovered from the right wrist injury that sidelined him for most of 2010, played well in flashes. But Federer was at another level, hitting lobs, drop shots, crosscourt winners and generally negating Del Potro's big forehand.
"We have played some big matches against each other, so just knowing how well he's been playing as of late, I was just hoping that I would get off to a good start. I was able to mix it up well and control the ball, and right away sort of felt confident,'' Federer said.
The end of the match came in a most fitting way, one of Federer's backhand winners.
Before that, Federer saved his fourth break point at 5-3 in the second set after a long rally who let out a loud yell.
"That's why I didn't celebrate when I won the set, just to make it up. I really knew how important that game was for me,'' Federer said.
The quarter-finals on the other side of the men's draw are on Wednesday — Andy Murray plays Kei Nishikori of Japan and top-seeded Novak Djokovic takes on David Ferrer.
In the remaining women's quarter-finals on Wednesday, Sharapova plays Ekaterina Makarova, who beat five-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, and No 2 Kvitova takes on unseeded Sara Errani of Italy.
Clijsters has needed treatment on her ankle since Sunday, when she injured it and had to save four match points in her fourth-round win over French Open champion Li Na, a rematch of the 2011 final.
"Instead of really focussing on the match, you're focussing on trying to get the ankle as good as possible. Laying on the couch, every 20 minutes ice, 20 minutes off, 20 minutes ice, 20 minutes off. Leg elevated. Lymphatic drainage, all that stuff,'' Clijsters said.
Wozniacki, 21, needed to reach the semi-finals to retain the top ranking.
"I will get it back eventually, so I'm not worried. Critics talk to me like I'm finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out. The fact is I still have quite a few good years in front of me,'' she said.
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