Djokovic tops Federer in Australian semi

MELBOURNE, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in straight sets Thursday and advanced to the men's singles finals of the Australian Open.

Djokovic, No. 3 in the world, handed Federer, second in the world rankings, a 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-4 defeat and kept him from defending his Australian Open title. Djokovic will be seeking his second championship in Melbourne, having won in 2008 when he also beat Federer in the semifinals for his only title in three major tournament finals appearances.

He will face either fifth-seeded Andy Murray or No. 7 David Ferrer, who play their semifinal Friday. The men's singles final is scheduled for Sunday.

The first set Thursday played evenly until the tiebreaker when Djokovic won five of six points and built a 6-2 lead and he claimed the set when a Federer backhand failed to clear the net.

Federer used a third-game break in taking a 5-2 lead in the second and seemed in position to even the match. However, Djokovic won five consecutive games, including a pair of breaks for a commanding advantage.

Djokovic broke Federer again in the third game of the third set but Federer kept his title defense hope alive with a stirring break back. However, Djokovic answered right with his fifth break of the day and then served out the match.

Djokovic owns a 4-3 series edge against Murray, who has won the last three meetings including title matches last year in Masters Series events in Cincinnati and Miami. Djokovic beat Ferrer in the final of an Australian Open tuneup in Beijing to take a 5-4 series lead against Ferrer.