Defending champion Roger Federer recovered from a slow start to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory over Tomas Berdych. The second seed struggled to get going on Rod Laver Arena but fought back from a breakdown and saved two set points in the opener before going on to win 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 6-4.
Federer has not dropped a set at Melbourne Park and the overwhelming tournament favorite will face surprise package Hyeon Chung in the last four.
After such an encouraging start, it was an all-too-familiar story for Berdych, the 19th seed suffering a ninth successive defeat against the domineering 19-time grand slam champion, Bein Sports reported.
Phenomenal Korean
Hyeon Chung continued his historic run at the Australian Open, proving too good for Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. A rising star on the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour, Chung claimed a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win over Sandgren on Rod Laver Arena.
The 21-year-old, already the first South Korean to reach a major quarterfinal, was largely untroubled on his way to the last four, winning in two hours and 28 minutes. Chung, winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals last year, produced a fine display against his American opponent. Having beaten Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev on his way to the last eight, Chung had few troubles against the world number 97.
