Federer plays down winning run

Roger Federer insists his dominant record against US Open semi-final opponent Nikolay Davydenko means nothing when he comes up against the Russian at Flushing Meadows tomorrow.

Top-seeded Federer meets his fourth-seeded opponent in the last four for the third time in the last five majors.

The Swiss star has won all of those matches and has beaten Davydenko nine times in a row in total – including seven times in straight sets.

Two of his wins have come in the past 12 months, with victory at the French Open and last year’s US Open semi-final.

Federer won that contest 6-1 7-5 6-4 en route to victory over American Andy Roddick in the final but he does not expect to get an easy ride this time.

“I think he’s a fantastic player,” Federer said Wednesday. “(He’s) totally underrated – still sometimes in the media. Even though I have a great record against him, I’m aware of his ability.

“It was a very close match we did at the French Open this year in the semis. Last year I played out of my head in the semis, I remember.”

The three-time champion has only lost two sets here – the first one in the third and fourth round to John Isner and Feliciano Lopez respectively.

He won the first two sets against Roddick, this year a quarter-final opponent, in tiebreakers and then finished the two-hour clash with a relatively easy third set.

That extended his winning streak in the US Open to 25, a run that dates to a fourth-round loss to David Nalbandian in 2003.

It also booked his ticket in a grand slam semi-final for the 14th straight time, which dates back to the 2004 French Open when he fell in the third-round to Gustavo Kuerten.

Federer’s victory over Davydenko in the French Open gives good reason for his circumspect approach to the match.

The match at Roland Garros was a three-hour struggle and he needed to erase deficits in every set as he made 45 unforced errors.

Meanwhile, the Russian has conceded just 39 games in his five matches – the fewest by any player after the quarter-finals since Ivan Lendl lost 34 games to reach the last four in 1987.

Davydenko also is the only man that has not dropped a set in tournament.

He too is ready for a tough match, though.

He said: “He’s a good player in any surface. I don’t feel now I am in the top one or top two. Maybe one time if I beat Federer, you know (I can be ranked that high).

“I know I play much better now and my confidence is better and I can reach this level.”

The winner of the match will face either third-seeded Novak Djokovic or number 15 David Ferrer of Spain, who meet in the other semi.

Djokovic said: “I’m playing some great tennis and I’m performing well and getting great results. Hopefully this time I can get a step further (and make the final).”

Rafael Nadal has been a thorn in Djokovic’s side in recent grand slams but he believes Ferrer, who knocked Nadal out of this competition, could be an even sterner test.

“It’s kind of a relief that I’m not playing him (Nadal),” Djokovic said.

“But on the other hand playing a guy who’s maybe running more than him is even bigger. He won against Rafa playing his style of the game – running around, a lot of long points. So it’s going to be difficult.”

Ferrer, on the other hand, is simply happy to be performing away from his favoured clay courts.

He said: “I’m playing really very well on hard courts and it’s unbelievable.

“I play more in clay. If you told me before I would make the semi-finals on a hard court, I wouldn’t have believed you.”