Novak Djokovic displayed the most ruthless one-and-a-half hours of tennis, absolutely annihilating No. 4 seed David Ferrer in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Defending champion Djokovic moved to within one victory of becoming the first men's player in the Open era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, with a crushing 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory over his Spanish opponent.
When the scored read 2-2 in the first set, it looked like we were headed for a good old baseline battle that could last the distance. However, just like flicking on a switch, Djokovic stepped up around four gears to completely and utterly overwhelm Ferrer in the first set.
The second and third sets weren't too much different, as the Serb, who had 30 winners to Ferrer's 11, kept up his brilliant shot-making, with the Spaniard, one of the best battlers in the men's circuit, left with absolutely no answers.
"I don't think (I can play any better than today)," Djokovic said in an on-court interview after the match. "I played incredible tennis. I felt comfortable and very confident from the start.
"I was aware of David's qualities obviously, and I just wanted to be aggressive on the court.
"This is definitely one of the best performances I have ever had in my career, and I'm just thrilled to have another shot at the title."
Djokovic then went on to praise his semifinal opponent Ferrer, who on any other day might just have been capable of causing an upset.
"He is one of the most respected guys on the tour," Djokovic said. "He is just such a good competitor and he has been around for many years.
"I think he is experiencing his best time in his career in the last two years. He won seven tournaments last year and that says enough about his quality.
"He has improved so much on the hardcourts, especially being a clay court specialist, but tonight I just played incredible."
Djokovic now faces the winner between Roger Federer and Andy Murray, who play Friday; and the Serb said he would definitely be up watching every single point in what promises to be a classic match.
"Who doesn't want to see Federer vs Murray semifinal," he added with a grin. "Everybody wants to see that.
"I have two days now to get ready for the next challenge, whoever it is."
