Verdasco downs Tsonga in Aussie quarters

MELBOURNE, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Spain's Fernando Verdasco reached the Australian Open semifinals Wednesday with a four-set win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fifth seed.

Tsonga was a finalist in 2008, and this year, lost to the 14th-seeded Verdasco, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 2-6 in the quarterfinals at Rod Laver Arena.

Verdasco advanced to his first semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament despite a temperature of 105 degrees, causing scorching and dangerous conditions outside Melbourne Park

Also Wednesday, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal beat sixth-seeded Gilles Simon of France, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5, and plays his fellow Spaniard in a semifinal on Friday.

It will be the first time that players from Spain face each other in an Australian open semifinal.

"(Wednesday) was very tough," said Nadal, the only men's player who has not lost a set at this year's tournament. "I don't know how I won, really. Gilles is a very good player. He beat me in Madrid but I knew I was playing better here. It will be incredible to play Fernando in the semifinal and we're guaranteed a Spaniard in the final."

The first men's semifinal on Thursday matches former top-ranked players second-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and No. 7 Andy Roddick of the United States.

Federer holds a 15-2 lifetime advantage against the American, 6-0 at Grand Slams, including a 2007 Australian Open semifinal victory.