Flawless Roger Federer keeps bit up sleeve with quick demolition of Tsonga

ANY notion Andy Murray may have had that he would step on to court the fresher man than his opponent in the Australian Open final were blown away yesterday, as a zestful Roger Federer emerged from his semi-final with a spring in his step.

The Swiss world No1 simply swept Jo-Wilfried Tsonga aside, sending out an ominous warning to Murray that there are few, if any chinks, in his armour at this tournament. Federer took just an hour and 28 minutes to overwhelm the dejected Frenchman 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, and will return to the Rod Laver Arena tomorrow not only confident, but fit and rested.

Murray, who has been in supreme form himself, had spoken on Thursday of the uplifting prospect of having an extra day to prepare for the final, having completed his semi-final victory over Marin Cilic 24 hours before Federer was due on court.

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The Scot was on the practice court for a gentle hit yesterday, and will do the same again today, but the amount of time and energy Federer expended on court yesterday was more or less akin to the duration Murray spent going through his gentle training routine.

Tsonga reached the final at Melbourne Park two years ago but he was left shell-shocked as Federer showed he will make Murray's quest for a maiden Grand Slam title as difficult as possible.

"I feel good about my game but I didn't expect something even close to this kind of scoreline, so obviously it feels great," Federer said. "The crowd were rather on the quiet side towards the end because also they were a bit surprised I think how fast it went. I felt like this could be a good match for me. I'm hitting the ball well.

"Tonight was definitely one of the nights where I felt like I had that extra split second more time to think where I was going to play, what I was going to do with the ball. So you always feel like you almost have a second option. You have to be careful you don't overdo it and make sure you still go with the right plays."

Federer offered his rival little respite as he continually peppered the lines with winners while he dominated on serve, losing only 15 points in 13 games on his delivery.

The 28-year-old admitted he had made sure he kept his level until the end after being on the losing end of a Tsonga comeback last time they met in Canada last year.

Federer had been 5-1 ahead in the deciding set of that match only to lose in a tie-break. "For me it was very challenging bringing it over the finish line," he said. "Last time I played him, probably most of the entire stadium didn't know, I was up 6-1, 5-1 and ended up losing. That wasn't a boring match for me, that ended up being a horrible match. I didn't want the same thing happening.

"So for me it was trying to put the hammer down and finish him off. I was able to. Here I am sitting now very relaxed and excited about the finals, not still battling it out there. It was a great match. I'm happy."

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Tsonga had come into the match on the back of consecutive five-set matches, against Nicolas Almagro and third seed Novak Djokovic, which was the first time the 24-year-old had been taken the distance in a match. And, while he conceded Federer had been too good for him yesterday, the Frenchman admitted to feeling weary. "I was just a bit more tired after the first set," he said.

"It was tough to play against him today. He was really good, and that's it."

There is no doubt that Federer is "really good", but how does he shape up when compared to Murray ahead of tomorrow's showdown . . . FORM

MURRAY: has enjoyed arguably the best two weeks of his career in Melbourne and he will know this is a golden chance to end his and Britain's Grand Slam drought. His opening three matches were formalities and he coped confidently with the challenge of 6ft 9in John Isner in the fourth round, but it is his quarter-final victory over Rafael Nadal that has really boosted expectations. The defending champion may have had to retire injured but he was already well beaten. Murray had to dig deep to see off Cilic in the semi-finals but ended the match in supreme form and came up with two of the best shots of the tournament.

FEDERER: has proved yet again his capacity to find his best form at the major events. Having started the season looking some way below his best, the Swiss maestro then struggled through his opening match in Melbourne against Igor Andreev. Thereafter, though, he has been imperious. A demolition of Lleyton Hewitt in round four preceded a strange match against Nikolay Davydenko. Having finally broken his duck against the world No1 at the end of last year, the Russian raced through a set and half only to lose 13 consecutive games, and the match. A weary Tsonga was brushed aside in the last four to take Federer to his 18th final from the last 19 Grand Slams.PAST MEETINGS

Not many players can boast winning records against Federer but Murray is one of them. The pair have met on 10 occasions, with the British No1 emerging triumphant six times. Their biggest clash came in Murray's only previous Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2008, and on that occasion he came up short. Federer shot out of the blocks and never relinquished his grip, winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.

Their first meeting came in Murray's maiden ATP Tour final in Bangkok in 2005, with the world No1 winning in straight sets. The Scot got his revenge the next year in Cincinnati, though, when he posted a 7-5, 6-4 victory. They have met eight times in the past two years, with the US Open final Murray's only defeat in four matches in 2008. The 22-year-old was victorious in Dubai and Madrid before also beating his rival at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Last year, Murray extended his winning run over Federer to four straight matches with victories in Doha and Indian Wells but the Swiss star has come out on top in their last two meetings, in Cincinnati and in the group stages of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.