Federer routs Roddick, impresses Laver

MELBOURNE, Australia - If he could pick any player from any era to test himself against, Roger Federer would like a shot at Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg.

Laver, the last man to win all four majors in one season, was in the stadium that carries his name yesterday to witness Federer dismantle Andy Roddick in the Australian Open semifinals. After what he saw, Laver would just as soon stick to meeting Federer in the locker room - after the matches.

Federer likes to put on a show when Laver is at Rod Laver Arena, and called his 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Roddick his best match in Melbourne.

"I had one of these days when everything worked," the Swiss star said. "I was unbeatable. I was playing out of my mind. I am shocked myself."

The win put him in his seventh consecutive Grand Slam final, tying a record set by Jack Crawford in 1934, and left him only one victory from a 10th Grand Slam title. He will meet the winner of the Fernando Gonzalez-Tommy Haas semifinal in Sunday's championship match.

With seemingly few challengers among his contemporaries, Federer is often asked about facing one of the greats from another time - Laver and Borg come to his mind.

Both won 11 majors - Borg from 16 finals spanning 1974 to '81, and Laver in a five-season run wedged around his absence from the Grand Slam tournaments from 1963 to '67.

By Sunday, Federer is likely to be only one major title behind, although Laver expects him to go a lot further and break Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

"I think the art of Roger is probably the best player I've ever seen . . . The way he's compiling the Grand Slam titles, I think he's got a great chance of being the best ever," Laver said.

Laver, 68, made a rare return to Melbourne from California to marvel at Federer again.

"Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body," Laver said. "It's hardly fair that one person can do all this - his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position . . . the way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground. That's the sign of a great champion."

And that's a daunting prospect for Gonzalez or Haas. Haas, a two-time semifinalist in Australia, has never reached a Grand Slam final. Gonzalez is into the semis at a major for the first time.

Today's women's final features top-seeded Maria Sharapova against No. 81-ranked Serena Williams. Williams led 5-1 in the second set of her semifinal before letting Nicole Vaidisova back in, wasting triple match point at 3-5 and needing three more before finally converting in a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory. *