INQUIRER Sports

NEW YORK -- Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic advanced to a US Open semi-final showdown with four-time defending champion Roger Federer with a 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) victory over US eighth seed Andy Roddick on Thursday.

The Australian Open champion booked a Saturday match against Swiss second seed Federer, who defeated Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7/6 (7/5) in an earlier quarter-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Federer-Djokovic semi-final will be a rematch of last year's US Open final, in which Federer won 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 to capture his 12th Grand Slam title. Federer has a 6-2 lifetime record against Djokovic.

Spanish world number one Rafael Nadal -- the reigning French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion -- will meet British sixth seed Andy Murray in the other semi-final at the year's final Grand Slam tennis tournament.