Roger Federer cruises to Australian Open semi-final

Roger Federer is into the semi-finals of the Australian Open following a straight-sets victory over Tomas Berdych.

© AFP

The first set proved to be the tightest of the contest in Melbourne but the Swiss edged the tie-break 7-4 to gain the crucial advantage.

From there it was plain sailing as he broke five times to wrap up a 7-6 6-2 6-4 victory in two hours 16 minutes.

Federer, who will next face either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori, has now reached 12 Aussie Open semi-finals in the last 13 years as he bids for his fifth title.