• Australian Open, Day Ten

Federer fightback too hot for Davydenko

Roger Federer was troubled by the sun early on against Nikolay Davydenko © Getty Images

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Roger Federer recovered from one of the worst sets of his glittering career to launch an Australian Open renaissance against Nikolay Davydenko, eventually winning 2-6 6-3 6-0 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals.

Federer, by his very own high standards, began as a pale imitation of the man that had reached the previous 22 Grand Slam semi-finals. The trademark forehand coughed up errors at will, the first-serve percentage dipped below 60%, and Davydenko capitalised by dictating the pace.

The Russian claimed a swift 6-2 first-set advantage, indicating his intent to continue his unbeaten run in 2010. Federer's form was so poor that he exited for an uncharacteristic toilet break between sets, desperate for a change of scenery to wake him from his Melbourne malaise.

"I was struggling with the sun coming in from the side, and with him [Davydenko] playing so well," Federer said. "I knew that if the sun goes, it's like a rain delay, you just hope for the better!

"You're allowed to have two toilet breaks as you know, and I never use them. But I figured I'll only use it once, and if the sun even moves by one centimetre in that time maybe it'll be the point that makes the difference! Maybe it did at 15-40 down in the second."

Initially, the ploy failed to bring results. Davydenko found more lines as Federer toiled against the same two-handed backhand that has seen David Nalbandian trouble him in the past, and at a break up in the second set a real shock appeared to be on the cards. Federer had been beaten in his previous two head-to-heads with the No. 6 seed, but those were three-set encounters on lesser stages.

Federer said prior to the contest that he fancied himself over five sets, and that confidence suddenly came flooding back as he set about a rescue job, first avoiding a further break point in the second set and then going on to break Davydenko twice to level at 1-1. By contrast, Davydenko's serve and cross-court forehand were beginning to fire blanks.

The world No. 1 had set the wheels in motion for a dazzling period of tennis that yielded 13 consecutive games, sweeping him through the third set 6-0 and then up a break 2-0 in the fourth. Victory seemed a formality but Davydenko deservedly added a final chapter to his own campaign, breaking Federer not once but twice as the fourth set went with serve in the loosest possible terms.

Federer must have thought he had broken his opponent's resolve when he survived 0-40 at 3-4 on his own serve before breaking Davydenko's to move within one game of victory, but the belligerent Russian just would not give in, levelling once more at 5-5. Even the tightest of referrals at break point down in the next game went Davydenko's way, following a near-perfect Federer lob, but eventually his resolve was shattered as Federer accepted his fourth break point of the game to set up victory.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Novak Djokovic in five sets, will provide Federer's semi-final opponent.

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