There are three high-profile semifinal matches in Day 11 of the 2013 Australian Open. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic squares off against David Ferrer at 7:30 am EST Thursday. The live stream and highlights of the tournament are included in this story.
Djokovic and Ferrer have met twice in Grand Slam semifinal matches, with Djokovic winning each time. In the 2007 U.S. Open, Djokovic won 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Five years later in the same tournament, it took an extra set to decide the victor in a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 Djokovic win.
Twice before Djokovic and Ferrer have squared off in an Australian Open quarterfinal match, with Djokovic also taking both contests. In 2008, Djokovic beat Ferrer, Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the championship. In 2012, Djokovic topped Ferrer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal to win again.
Djokovic beat Tim Berdych in his quarterfinal match 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. The top-ranked player in the world has not had any easy matches in this year's tournament, having played at least three sets in every round. It took five sets and five hours to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round, plus the recent victory over Berdych in the last two matches.
In the previous five Australian Opens, Djokovic had three wins and two quarterfinal appearances. His 2008 victory was his first ever in a Grand Slam event. He is still a French Open win shy of a career Grand Slam, and nearly had one in 2011 alone, winning three but falling in the French Open semis.
The Serbian has topped Paul-Henri Mathieu, Ryan Harrison, Radek Stepanek, Wawrinka and Berdych in his five previous matches in the 2013 Australian Open.
The Spanish Ferrer defeated his countryman Nicolas Almagro in five sets, beating the tenth-seeded player 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-2. Like Djokovic, he is yet to have a two-set match in this year's tournament, and had a second-round match last four sets.
Ferrer has four previous Grand Slam semifinals appearances, but has not won one yet. He most recently made the 2012 U.S. Open semis, and made his only previous Aussie Open semis berth in 2011. Of those four tournaments, Ferrer's opponent in that round won the title just once. Both times Djokovic defeated Ferrer in those matches, Djokovic went on to lose in the final.
Ferrer has erased Olivier Rochus, Tim Smyczek, Marcos Baghdatis, Kei Nishikori and Almagro in the 2013 open.
The women's singles final will be on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 am EST. The men's final will be the last match of the tournament at 7:30 am EST on Monday, Jan. 28. This is the full schedule of the 2013 Australian Open.
The women's doubles final takes place on Saturday, Jan. 26 not before 4:00 am EST. The men's doubles final will be after the women's singles final. The mixed doubles final will be at 4:00 am EST on Monday, Jan. 28.
You can watch video highlights of past 2013 Austrailan Open matches here.
The Live Stream of the 2013 Australian Open is right here (Service Provider Required).
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