World number six Roger Federer advanced to his 11th consecutive Australian Open semifinal on Wednesday after the Swiss star eliminated world number four Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Last year, Murray eliminated Federer in the semifinals to reach the final but lost to three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Federer will face long-time Rafael Nadal next in the semifinals after the latter eliminated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), 6-2.
“I was proud of the way I fought,” Murray said. “That’s the highest level I’ve played at in a long time. My serve slowed down a bit in the fourth set, especially the first couple points when I was getting up after the change of ends.”
Federer said he’s looking forward to his semifinal match against Nadal.
“We’ve had some epics over the years,” he said. “I hope we can slug it out here in a couple of days.”
