Federer poised to snuff out Australian hope

THE Australians must be kicking themselves. Not only did they miss out on the chance to adopt the mighty Roger Federer as one of their own, but now the Swiss master is poised to send their only chance of success in Melbourne packing.

Federer, it turns out, almost emigrated to the land down under as a 14-year-old. His father had been offered a job and the family came over for an extended holiday and to look around the country. They loved the trip, but after a long family discussion, the Federers decided to stay in Switzerland.

"I remember actually my parents having a debate: are we moving away from Switzerland to come live over here?" Federer said. "At the end, they just said, Look, we have all our friends over here. And even though it's lucrative and nice to go to Australia, they love the country, they also asked us kids. And we were like, whatever the parents decide. What are we going to decide here? So at the end they decided to stay in Switzerland."

And so the sport's greatest player did not become an Australian. Tomorrow he will fly the Swiss flag over the Rod Laver Arena and take on Lleyton Hewitt – and he will probably beat him. Federer usually does. He has thumped Adelaide's feistiest son the last 14 times they have met.

The Swiss set up the appointment with a simple 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Albert Montanes, another comfortable victory in Federer's progress towards, he hopes, the final.

Serena Williams has breezed through the opening week and yesterday clumped Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-3. She, too, plays an Australian – Sam Stosur – although last time they met, Williams lost.

Her sister Venus had a slightly harder route to the fourth round, snuffing out a spirited challenge from Casey Dellacqua 6-1, 7-6.