• Australian Open, Day 11

Rampant Djokovic destroys Ferrer

ESPN staff
January 24, 2013

Novak Djokovic powered into the Australian Open final with a demolition of David Ferrer.

Spanish No. 4 seed Ferrer has been in sizzling form this season and many felt he could be a genuine threat to defending champion Djokovic. That thought was blown out of the water in 90 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, as he simply swatted away the gritty baseliner.

Djokovic had to go to the limit of his powers to beat Stanislas Wawrinka, in the fourth round. He dispelled any fitness fears with a four-set win over Tomas Berdych and upped his level with his best performance of the tournament to date to secure a 6-2 6-2 6-1 win.

Ferrer attempted to match Djokovic from the baseline from the off, but the world No. 1 absorbed everything the Spaniard threw at him and worked the break in the fifth game.

Djokovic had Ferrer's measure from early in the piece and he turned on the style in the seventh game of the opening set. He moved his rival along the baseline and then sucked him in with a dropshot before flicking a volley into the open court.

Ferrer had chances to hold in that seventh game, but was ground down by Djokovic and sent a backhand over the baseline to surrender a second break of serve and ultimately the set.

Djokovic continued his dominance in the second set, breaking on two occasions to power through the stanza.

The Serb's level was sizzling in the second, it rose in the third. He broke through in the opening game and then claimed another in the third game. He cracked four clean winners in that third game, all of which simply left Ferrer in a state of bewilderment.

Ferrer took the fifth game to avert the threat of a bagel, but it did not check Djokovic's momentum. He rubbed salt into the wounds with a stunning lob volley that took him to within one game of victory - which he sealed when breaking Ferrer for a third time in the set.

Djokovic can now put his feet up and relax while Roger Federer and Andy Murray slug it out on Friday for the right to meet him in the final.

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