Melbourne : World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic produced a nearly flawless performance to overcome arch-rival Roger Federer in four sets and reached his sixth Australian Open final on Thursday.
The Serbian claimed a 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Swiss maestro Federer in the first semi final that lasted two hours and 19 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic got off to a blistering start, clinching the first two sets in mere 54 minutes before Federer provided some resistance to claim a high-quality third set. However, Djokovic broke the 17-time Grand Slam champion to take a 5-3 lead before comfortably claiming the fourth set.
With the win, Djokovic edged ahead of Federer for the first time in their head-to-head rivalry by winning 23 of their 45 career matches.
Djokovic will aim to win his sixth title at Melbourne Park when he will either take on last year’s runner up Andy Murray or Milos Raonic. (ANI)