Australian Open 2016: Roger Federer eases into semi-finals by beating Tomas Berdych

Roger Federer booked his place in the Australian Open semi-finals with a straight sets win (7-6 6-2 6-4) over Tomas Berdych in Melbourne on 26 January. The 34-year-old Swiss was taken to a tie-break in the opening set (7-4) but his dominant serve proved to be a crucial factor in what was ultimately a straightforward victory.

The 17-time grand slam champion had won each of the last four meetings between the pair and continued his dominance on Rod Laver Arena. Federer broke twice in the second set and broke his opponent's serve once again with the scoreline at 4-4 in the third.

"I think I played well overall. You know, wished maybe I didn't get a break here or there. At the same time Tomas was pushing for it, he was looking for it, so clearly it can happen," Federer said, according to the official Australian Open website.

"He's got a lot of power. He knows how to do it. So I was happy that on both occasions, first and third, I was able to react quickly. The second set, when I did have the break, I was able to roll with it.

"I think the first set was tough. It was the one that took the longest, had the most importance of all the sets, in my opinion. It was definitely key to the rest of the match because I think it maybe might have taken some energy out of Tomas. Who knows? If not physical, also mental. It's always tough to lose the first set in best of five in a breaker, in my opinion."

Elsewhere, Britain's Jamie Murray and his Brazilian partner Bruno Soares booked their place in the semi-finals of the men's doubles. The duo overcame Rajeev Ram and Raven Klaasen in three sets (6-7 6-4 7-6) to progress to the last four.