Ferrero makes last four after test
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Stirred but not shaken, Juan Carlos Ferrero battles through to the last four of the Australian Open.
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MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero came through a stern test to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open, where he will play Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.
Ferrero beat the under-rated and unseeded Moroccan Hicham Arazi 6-1 7-6 7-6, while Swiss Federer beat eighth-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian 7-5 6-4 5-7 6-3
After a straightforward first set, the French Open champion Ferrero was pressed by the Moroccan all the way.
The Spaniard, a quarterfinalist in Australia last year, is in the semifinals in Melbourne for the first time on his fourth visit.
With top-seeded Andy Roddick out of the tournament in a quarterfinal upset to unseeded Marat Safin, former No. 1 Ferrero and Federer are vying for the top ranking in men's tennis.
Ferrero won seven consecutive games and gave up only nine points to lead 1-0 in the second set before the left-handed Arazi recovered and started pounding forehand winners.
He had to save three set points in the second set and two in the third before forcing tie-breakers in each.
He advanced when Arazi dumped a backhand return into the net facing his first match point.
In the opening set and a half, Arazi looked a shadow of the player who crushed Australian Mark Philippoussis.
Ferrero said afterward: "I played really good when I started the match, but I knew Arazi always played good rallies and would come back.
"I missed some easy volleys at 5-4 and 40-15, but then I won the second set in a tie-breaker and in the third I began to feel a little bit tighter but I play good tennis at 5-4 on his serve and finally I could win the tough match," he said.
"I'm in the semifinals and Andy Roddick is out, but I have to play two more matches to win the tournament, and I have two great players ahead of me so it will be very difficult."
Second seed Federer marched into the semifinals of the Australian Open with a four-set defeat of Nalbandian.
The Swiss , who has dropped just two sets in the tournament, snatched the first set from with a break in the 12th game.
In the second, the Wimbledon champion twice recovered from a break down to stretch his lead.
Nalbandian pulled a set back when he broke Federer in the 11th game of the third but the Swiss wrapped it up by winning the fourth set.
"There were a lot of unforced errors and I took lot of chances," Federer said after his win. "I served really well for the first two, three sets, maybe, but afterwards it wasn't that great a match and we didn't live up to the expectations. But I'm still very happy."
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
