Nieminen ousts Djokovic in Sydney

SYDNEY, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Finland's Jarkko Nieminen eliminated top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia Friday in the semifinals of the Medibank International in Sydney.

Nieminen won 6-4, 7-6, 7-3 and will go against Argentine David Nalbandian, the No. 4 seed, who defeated France's Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-3.

Nalbandian has a 6-4 advantage over Nieminen in their encounters on the ATP Tour. The tournament is considered a warm-up for the Australian Open, which begins Monday.

Djokovic will go into the open, which he won last year, ranked No. 3 in the world. By losing his semifinal match to Nieminen, he lost a chance to pass Roger Federer for the No. 2 spot.