Djokovic downs Federer
Friday, 25 Jan 2008 16:33
Novak Djokovic will face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open final
World number one Roger Federer has been knocked out of the Australian Open by Novak Djokovic.
The third seed was in stunning form as he beat the Swiss master in straight sets, claiming a 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory in Melbourne in the semi-final.
It means neither of the top two players in the world will be in the final this weekend, after Spain's Rafael Nadal was beaten by Andy Murray's conqueror Jo-Wilfried Tsonga yesterday.
It will also be the first time in 11 grand slam finals that Federer will not be involved, after his first defeat in 20 matches at the first grand slam of the year.
Serbian Djokovic has only beaten Federer on one previous occasion and it appeared as though history would repeat itself as the Swiss took a 5-3 lead in the first set.
But from that point on the 20-year-old challenger was in imperious form, taking nine of the next ten games to win the opening set and open up a 5-1 lead in the second.
Federer fought back briefly but could not prevent his opponent from taking a 2-0 lead.
The third set was a closely-fought tussle from the off, with both men hanging on to their serve during a 63-minute struggle.
Defending champion Federer made the early ground in the tiebreak but Djokovic fought back from 3-1 and 5-4 down to claim a memorable victory.
He will now seek to win his first major title against world number 38 Tsonga, who he has never previously met in competition, on Sunday in a most unexpected final.