Federer not looking past Djokovic

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer is reluctant for now to talk about possibly playing Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final, and with good reason.

After all, he's playing Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

Federer and Nadal have dominated the Grand Slam events, winning 21 of the last 23 major singles titles. But Djokovic is dangerous, and Federer knows his one-match-at-a-time mantra is sound strategy.

"He takes it to the opponent," Federer said.

Federer routed Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3, Tuesday in the first all-Swiss quarterfinal at a major. Djokovic eliminated Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, 6-1, 7-6 (5), 6-1, in the night match.

On the women's side, top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki beat Francesca Schiavone, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, in a quarterfinal Tuesday and will play ninth-seeded Li Na, who reached her second consecutive Australian Open semifinal by defeating Andrea Petkovic, 6-2, 6-4.

In a match played Wednesday, No. 2 Vera Zvonareva advanced to her fourth major semifinal, beating No. 25 Petra Kvitova, 6-2, 6-4. She will play the winner of the match between No. 3 Kim Clijsters and Agnieszka Radwanska.

It was at this stage of the 2008 Australian Open that Djokovic beat Federer before going on to win his only major singles title. Federer also lost to Djokovic after having two match points in the U.S. Open semifinals last September. It was a lapse that cost Federer.

"I was playing good enough to win," Federer said. "But I was a bit confused mentally, maybe because we played the second session . . . Maybe I just felt like I have to get out of this match as quick as I could to save energy to play Rafa the next day. I think it ended up hurting me losing the match at the end."

It ended a sequence for Federer of six straight final appearances in Flushing Meadows.

Then Djokovic lost to Nadal in the final, giving the Spaniard his first U.S. Open title. That set him on the path toward his Rafa Slam - Nadal is aiming to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four major titles at once.

Federer twice has won three consecutive majors, only to be deprived by Nadal - both times at the French Open.

Nadal plays the night quarterfinal today against David Ferrer. Nadal has an 11-3 lead in head-to-heads. A win could set up a semifinal against Andy Murray, the only man to beat Nadal in a major in 2010. Murray takes on Alexandr Dolgopolov, the breakthrough player of the tournament, in today's other quarterfinal.

Dolgopolov has beaten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling in his run to his first major quarterfinal.