NOVAK DJOKOVIC hammered an off-key Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer put on a masterclass against Tomas Berdych as they set up a dream semi-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

    Defending champion Djokovic recovered strongly from his five-set struggle against Gilles Simon as he ousted Nishikori 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, after Federer swept aside Berdych 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-4.

    Djokovic is seeking his 11th grand slam title while Federer, 34, is looking to extend his record tally to 18 — and both will want to take charge of their head-to-head, which is locked at 22-22.

    “Any round [against Federer] feels like a final because of the fact that we are, you know, big rivals, we played so many times against each other,” Djokovic said.

    Djokovic will start as favorite against Federer after he beat him in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year on his way to winning three grand slam titles and finishing runner-up at the French Open.

    Today’s semifinal promises to be a test of Djokovic’s continued dominance of men’s tennis, after his achievement in losing only one grand slam match last season.  (SD-Agencies)