Australian Open 2012: Nadal-Federer Set For Semis; Clijsters Upsets No. 1 Wozniacki

Rafael Nadal Onto Australian Open 2012 Semifinals With Four-Set Win

Rafael Nadal is on to the 2012 Australian Open semifinals, where a familiar foe, Roger Federer, awaits. He made his way past Tomas Berdych in a typically grinding four-set match in the quarterfinals to earn his spot.

No. 2 Nadal beat No. 7 Berdych 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-3, in a four-hour, 13-minute match that forced him to play 16 more games and win 52 more points than he had played in any match prior to the quarterfinal round in the 2012 Australian Open. Nadal had breezed by his first four opponents in straight sets without so much as one tiebreaker.

For his victory, Nadal has earned just his third berth in the Australian Open semifinals, and his first trip to the semifinal round since 2009, when he went on to win his only Australian Open. He'll meet Federer, who dispatched Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets; in 2009, Nadal beat Federer in the final in a five-set classic to earn his sixth Grand Slam victory.

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Australian Open 2012 Results And Scores: Roger Federer Downs Juan Martin Del Potro In Quarterfinals

Just like the last eight years, Roger Federer has advanced to the Australian Open semifinals. The third-ranked player in the world had little trouble downing Juan Martin Del Potro, winning their quarterfinal match on Day 9 in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

"We have played some big matches against each other," Federer said after the match. "So just knowing how well he's been playing as of late, I was just hoping that I would get off a good start. But I was able to mix it up well and control the ball, and right away sort of felt confident, which then sort of helped me to use all aspects of my game.

"Then it got tough with the shadow creeping in, and I knew that was going to happen rather sooner than later just because the matches before me took some time. I knew it was going to happen eventually. That's why the second set, serving out the second set was key for me. You know, get through that tough patch, and then in the third it was a bit more free swinging for me."

Federer needed less than two hours to win -- and just 31 minutes in the third set -- a far cry from his five-set loss to Del Potro in the 2009 U.S. Open final. He won 89 percent of his first serves to Del Potro's 57 percent.

"I'm really happy with my game," he said after the match. "That's what I'm most concerned with, to be quite honest. I'm moving well. I'm serving well. I'm hitting the ball clean. Today I thought, you know, in a very hot day with, you know, fast conditions, I was able to control the ball."

With the win, Federer became the first on the men's side to advance to the semifinals and will play the winner of Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych. He also passed a couple of milestones, playing in his 1,000th career match and winning his 2,000 career set.

Australian Open 2012 Results And Scores: Caroline Wozniacki Gone From Another Grand Slam

Well, Caroline Wozniacki won't be crowned the champion of a Grand Slam in January.

The World No. 1 will have to try again at Roland Garros in May.

No. 1 seeded Wozniacki was defeated by No. 11 seeded Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 6-3, 7-6 (4). This defeat marks the fourth time the 21-year-old Dane has reached the quarterfinals round or later without winning the Slam.

Wozniacki fell one round short of the mark she reached by making it to last year's semifinals Down Under.

As for the Belgian, Clijsters is the tournament's defending champion and is now one of four remaining in 2012.

In her Saturday match against Li Na, Clijsters rolled her left ankle badly in the first set of a three-set match. After her victory against Li, Clijsters said she was glad she had a day of rest before her next match.

On Monday, no signs of injury showed during Clijsters upset of the No. 1 seed. However, Clijsters did let Wozniacki eek back to win five straight games after Clijsters held a 5-1 lead.

In the match stats, Clijsters hit to the open court more, with 39 winners to Wozniacki's 13. Clijsters also won a jaw-dropping 91 percent (10 of 11) of her net approaches, including a swinging forehand volley to end the match.

Clijsters will face No. 3 seeded Victoria Azarenka who defeated her quarterfinal opponent in three sets.

Australian Open 2012 Results And Scores: Victoria Azarenka Advances To Semifinals

Two friends seeded in the Top 10 faced off in the first match of the Australian Open women's quarterfinals, third-seeded Victoria Azarenka and eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, with the first spot in the semifinals up for grabs. It was, without a doubt, one of the strangest matches of the tournament so far. The two battled back and forth throughout the first set, culminating in a tiebreak, but Radwanska dominated Azarenka, who seemed completely out of gas already, even double-faulting in a crucial point in the match. Radwanska took the set 7-6 (7-0).

The second set told a different story. Though up a set, Radwanska came out completely flat, but curiously enough, Azarenka's body language did too. Azarenka looked dispirited and almost passive at times, though her play told a different story. She dominated Radwanska, using powerful ground strokes and shots that tickled the baseline to frustrate her, and took the second set 6-0.

Azarenka's body language started to pick back up in the third set, fist-pumping and shouting to match her trademark grunt/squeals. Radwanska looked completely defeated, failing to chase after 50/50 balls, getting no apparent adrenaline rush from winners despite being very much in contention for a spot in the semis. In the end, Radwanska couldn't overcome her friend, and didn't seem to want to. Azarenka wins 6-7 (0-7), 6-0, 6-2, and moves to the semifinals to face the winner of the Kim Clijsters-Caroline Wozniacki match.

For more coverage of the 2012 Australian Open, check back in with this storystream.

Australian Open 2012 Bracket Update: Caroline Wozniacki Plays Kim Clijsters In Quarterfinals

World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has a tough road ahead of her as she pursues her first ever Grand Slam title, starting with last year's Australian Open winner Kim Clijsters.

Australian Open 2012 Bracket Update: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal Headline Quarterfinals

Roger Feder and Rafael Nadal appear to be on collision course for Australian Open semifinals.

Australian Open 2012 Schedule, Preview For Monday's Matches: Now The Fun Begins

Day 9 at Australian Open 2012 features the start of the quarterfinal matches. For the men, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer look to continue their quest back to the top, while the women's side is highlighted by Caroline Wozniacki taking on Kim Clijsters. View the full Day 9 schedule.