Attack of the clone

Spain's Fernando Verdasco advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-6 2,3-6,6-3,6-2 at the Australian Open on Wednesday....

Spain8217;s Fernando Verdasco advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-6 2,3-6,6-3,6-2 at the Australian Open on Wednesday. His prize is a meeting with world No 1 Rafael Nadal,who subdued Frances Gilles Simon 6-2,7-5,7-5.

14th seed Vardasco showed no ill-effects from the gruelling five-set victory over Britains Andy Murray in his previous match as he overwhelmed Tsonga in a little under three hours. It was not easy. It was pretty hard, Verdasco said. I was feeling much better during the third and the fourth sets than the first and second. I was more lucky than him that in the tiebreak8230;there was nothing easy in this match.

Tsonga made the final at last years Australian Open but failed to take his opportunities against Verdasco,converting just two of 13 break points,while his opponent cashed in on each of his four break points.

Verdasco has been one of the most improved players over the past year and by reaching the semi-finals in Australia,he will break into the top 10 for the first time.

Brief threat

Simon was easily accounted for in the first set but then refused to go quietly into the warm Melbourne night and he threatened to take a set off Nadal for the first time in the tournament.

Nadal,however,was in no mood to hang around longer than necessary and took the match in two hours,27 minutes.

Nadals meeting with Verdasco on Friday will be the first time two Spanish men have met in the semi-finals at the Australian Open since the tournament opened its doors to professionals in 1969.

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It is always good to play against another Spanish player in semi-finals of a Grand Slam, Nadal said. It is very good news for us. One player is gonna be in the final.

Serena v Russians

Serena Williams survived the onset of a once-in-a-century heatwave and endured an out-of-body experience to oust Svetlana Kuznetsova and join a trio of Muscovites in the semi-finals. Only the Americans refusal to buckle and the organisers decision to close the roof as the mercury soared,prevented a Russian sweep of the quarter-finals after Elena Dementieva had earlier endured the brutal conditions to advance. Dementieva beat unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2,6-2.

The fourth seeds compatriots Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina booked their semi-final berths on Tuesday.

Me against the Russians now,I guess, Williams quipped after her 5-7,7-5,6-1 victory. Seeking a fourth Australian Open crown,the American second seed struggled in the opening set before organisers invoked their Extreme Heat Policy and shut the roof on the Rod Laver Arena court with the temperature topping 43 degrees Celsius.

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She picked up in the second set and raced through the third as Kuznetsova found she had punched herself out and could not keep up with the rejuvenated Serena.

Good day for Indians

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy advanced to the mens doubles semi-finals,while Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza made the last-four stage of the mixed doubles. Paes and Dlouhy,seeded fourth,quelled a late challenge from unseeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi 6-1,7-6 5 in the quarter-finals. They will play second-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan.

Sania and Mahesh rallied to beat Canadians Aleksandra Wozniak and Daniel Nestor 3-6,6-4,10-5 win in one hour and 15 minutes.

Juniors boys top seed Yuki Bhambri made the quarter-finals after defeating 13th seed Croat Dino Marcan 6-3,6-1.