rogerfederer.com - A new record and a date with Andy

A new record and a date with Andy

Roger moved another step towards defending his Australian Open title. He not only defeated Spain's Tommy Robredo 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-5 to reach the semi-final, but also set up a new record. Roger is the first player of the Open era to have reached 11 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.

The conditions were not ideal tonight and forced both players to adapt a fair bit. The windy gusts on one side of the court were the reason for a whole series of breaks and re-breaks. Roger produced a total of 31 unforced errors during the match and dropped his serve twice in the opening set, but still managed to restrict Robredo to just three games.

It was Roger’s seventh-straight triumph over Robredo, whose only victory over our champ came in their first meeting at the Hopman Cup in 2002.

The victory sets up a semi-final clash with Andy Roddick, an opponent our world number one has had the wood on since their first meeting in 2001. But it must be mentioned that Roger just lost the final to the American at the AAMI Classic in Kooyong, an exhibition tournament, just a few weeks ago.