MELBOURNE, Australia — The crowd roared as Roger Federer rallied against Novak Djokovic.
Surely this was the start of a comeback by the world’s top-ranked tennis player. Surely Djokovic was cracking under the pressure of trying to gain his second major final.
Not this time.
For once, Federer wasn’t invincible.
He had reached 10 straight Grand Slam finals, and won 19 matches in a row at Melbourne Park. That all came to an emphatic end Friday when he lost to No. 3 Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the Australian Open semifinals.
“I’ve created a monster that I need to win every tournament,” Federer said. “Still, the semifinals isn’t bad.”
The Swiss star had been seeking his third consecutive title here, which would have pulled him within one of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams. Instead, he’ll have to start thinking about his practice regime for the clay courts at the French Open, the only major to elude him so far.
“I think he made the more important points today, it was a bit unfortunate for me,” said Federer, who rubbed his eyes frequently at his post-match news conference. “There is no doubt I have played better before.”
He lost in straight sets for the first time in a Grand Slam tournament since a third-round defeat to Gustavo Kuerten at the 2004 French Open.
The emotional Djokovic, who has reached the semifinals of the past four majors, pounded 13 aces and 50 winners, largely avoiding the nerves that have occasionally troubled him.
“I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today,” the 20-year-old Serbian said. “In the most important moments, I played my best tennis. It’s just amazing, indescribable, to beat the No. 1 player of the world, one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets.”
Djokovic faces unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the other semifinal, in Sunday’s final. Neither Djokovic nor Tsonga has ever won a major championship.
“It’s going to be interesting, young players playing against each other,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, we will not have anything to lose.”
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