Federer sets up Ferrero clash

WORLD number two Roger Federer may have felt he was a little off-key, but he did enough to beat the in-form David Nalbandian in four sets and seal an Australian Open semi-final showdown with Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The Spanish third seed had earlier wrestled past spirited Moroccan Hicham Arazi 6-1 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) to reach his first Australian Open semi -final.

On the line tomorrow will not only be a place in the final of the season- opening Grand Slam, against either Andre Agassi or Marat Safin, but the world number one ranking.

Victory over the French Open champion will ensure Federer replaces the deposed Andy Roddick and tops the rankings for the first time his career.

And after doing just enough to quell Nalbandian, who had breezed into the last eight without dropping a set, he must be favourite.

Federer’s gliding rhythm that had swept Lleyton Hewitt aside was missing under spitting Melbourne skies, but in the way of a true champion he played the crucial points with a confident artistry that no other player possesses.

Despite 55 unforced errors, Federer completed a 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-3 victory over the Argentinian who had, up until November last year, held sway over him. Federer did not play badly but his execution was not as lethal as it can be, certainly as it was against Hewitt.

But as Nalbandian conceded afterwards, it was his ability to step up in the vital moments which proved the difference.

“It was so close,” said the former Wimbledon finalist. “I think in the important points, in the big points, he played better than me. That’s the difference,” said Nalbandian.

Ferrero had earlier raced through his opening set against Arazi in just 24 minutes but found the Moroccan a stubborn opponent and required two tie-breaks to eventually throw him off.

“He is very tough, he runs a lot and it is very difficult to win a point,” he said.

“He has a lot of talent with his backhand and when you play a left-hander it is difficult to return serve,” he said.

“Now I am in the semi-finals with the chance to go into the final and be a number one again. I am very motivated,” said Ferrero.

Second seed Kim Clijsters was determined to play her Australian Open semi-final against Patty Schnyder despite suffering a recurrence of her ankle injury.

Clijsters jarred her foot in the second set of yesterday’s hard-fought 6-2 7-6 (11-9) quarter-final win over Anastasia Myskina and required a medical time-out for treatment and re-strapping from the tour trainer.

“I’m going to have a week off anyway after this. I might as well go for it and give myself a shot,” she said.

“The foot stops me from jumping up and landing on my serve, pushing back towards the back of the court. It’s pretty painful.

“I’m going to rest as much as I can. Go to the hotel and try not to put any weight on it, don’t walk around, stuff like that.

“I’ll have to see how it reacts, try to ice it as much as I can today and maybe take a few painkillers to keep the swelling down and some anti-inflammatories,” said Clijsters.