Swiss star Federer beats Davydenko to show timing is everything at the Grand Slams

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Swiss star Federer shows timing is everything

MELBOURNE, Australia — With two of the three men to have beaten Roger Federer in the last 19 majors already out of the Australian Open, the Swiss star had a new threat to face.

Nikolay Davydenko’s 13-match winning streak was the hottest on the tour and included two wins over Federer during title runs at the season-ending championships in November and the season-opening event at Doha earlier this month.

The Russian unloaded everything he had on Federer for a set and a half Wednesday and was suddenly in uncharted territory at a Grand Slam tournament.

That’s when a bit of gamesmanship and a lot of big-match experience helped Federer switch gears and win 13 straight games en route to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 victory that sent Davydenko packing to join Federer’s former Grand Slam conquerors: No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 4-ranked Juan Martin del Potro. No. 3 Novak Djokovic was ousted only hours later.

“Winning that many games in a row against a player that’s been on fire like this, it’s a great sign,” Federer said.

The win stretched his record to a 23rd consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearance, something he rated as “definitely one of the most incredible things I have in my resume.”

Before Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver shared the record at 10.

“It’s incredible looking back on how many years that is now, you know, I’m able to deliver at Grand Slam play, especially this year,” he said. “Looking at the draw with (former No. 1-ranked Lleyton) Hewitt in the fourth round and Davydenko in the quarters, who has been on fire the last weeks and even today, you know, we saw big signs of it.

“So for some reason I was just a bit worried I was not going to make it this time in the semis. Now obviously that it’s safe again and I’ve been able to add one. It’s amazing.”

Besides his incredible run of Grand Slam semifinals that began at Wimbledon in 2004, Federer boasts three Australian Open wins among his record 15 major titles and 50 wins or more at three of the four biggest tournaments in tennis.

Defending champion Nadal, who beat Federer in five sets in last year’s final here and at Wimbledon in 2008 and at three French Opens, retired with a knee injury while trailing No. 5 Andy Murray in the third set of their quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

Del Potro, who beat Federer to win the U.S. Open in September, lost to Marin Cilic. The Croat gained a semifinal against Murray, a Scot who carries the extra burden of trying to be the first British man since the 1930s to win a major.

Djokovic, who beat Federer in the semifinals here in 2008 en route to the title, complained of an upset stomach following a 7-6 (8), 6-7 (5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, reversing the outcome of their meeting in the final here two years ago.

“I saw he wasn’t very good, but sometimes he does that and he wins,” Tsonga said.

Tsonga, whose last two wins came in the only five-set matches he’s played 11 Grand Slam tournaments, will meet Federer on Friday in the other semifinal.

Federer said he’s more concerned about who was still in contention than who had dropped out. The only time he’d ever felt different was at the last French Open, after defending champion Nadal tumbled out, opening the way for Federer to complete a career Grand Slam by winning on clay and to equal Pete Sampras’ record 14 majors.

“It had a huge affect on me that Rafa lost at the French, just knowing the opportunities I had and being already occupied with my own game and opponents,” he said. “But not that Rafa lost this time around.”

Defending champion Serena Williams, who was down a set and 4-0 in the second before rebounding for a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, knows she’ll have her hands full Thursday against No. 16 Li Na.

Li rallied from a set and break down to oust sixth-seeded Venus Williams and end the possibility of a Williams sisters showdown in the top half of the draw. Li’s 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory also gave China two women in the semifinals at the same major for the first time.

Zheng Jie plays in the other semifinal against former No. 1 Justine Henin, who is two tournaments into a comeback from a retirement that began just months before Zheng reached the 2008 Wimbledon semifinals.

Del Potro surprised Federer at New York in September in the Swiss star’s first major since he became a father of twins. He might have been distracted later in the season in his losses to Davydenko, but always seems to play his best at the Slams.

To beat Federer, the Russian said, you have to be like the Swiss star.

“You know, to be like perfect,” he said. “He’s No. 1.”

Davydenko had lost 12 matches to Federer before gaining some confidence with his back-to-back wins.

He broke Federer’s serve in the third and fifth games, and didn’t give the Swiss even a glimpse at a break-point chance.

Federer decided to take a quick comfort break after the first set, to let the sun that had been bothering him move a little bit.

That gave Davydenko time to cool his heels inside Rod Laver Arena — unfamiliar territory for somebody more familiar with the outside courts — and time to think about the situation.

It didn’t work right away, Federer dropped serve three games later and then fell behind 3-1, but then the momentum swung dramatically.

“You’re allowed to have two toilet breaks and I never use them, and I figured maybe the sun goes by 1 centimeter to 3 centimeters … maybe it’s that one point that makes a difference,” Federer said, adding for the record: “Oh, I had to go to the toilet, too.”