Federer ousts Roddick in semis

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer moved within one victory of tying Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles by dominating Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 Thursday to reach the Australian Open final.

Roddick, who undertook a rigorous off-season training regime designed to help him beat Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal, was in good form.

But the second-ranked Federer outplayed him in every phase of the game. Ripping winners from all over the court and usually forcing Roddick to hit more than one good shot to win a point, he even had more aces than the hard-serving American, 16-8.

"I served well in the first set and that gave me a lot of confidence," Federer said. "I was moving well and getting a lot of balls back and making it difficult for Andy to get the upper hand from the baseline. That was kind of what I was hoping for."

Federer, seeking his fourth Australian title, will face the winner of today's semifinal between Nadal and fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco.

"I don't have to wait to see who wins, I can start preparing for a lefty tonight," Federer said.

The women's final matchup was set for earlier today. Serena Williams was calm, collected and cool - with the Rod Laver Arena roof closed to keep out Melbourne's oppressive heat wave - to end Olympic champion Elena Dementieva's 15-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

All that stands between her and a 10th Grand Slam title is third-seeded Dinara Safina, who is hungry to take home her first major trophy to go along with the two that brother Marat Safin has earned. Safina ousted fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semifinal. The winner today also will rise to the No. 1 ranking.