All-Swiss semifinal showdown

STAN Wawrinka feels he is ready to emerge from the shadow of Roger Federer and make his own statement in their semifinal showdown at the Australian Open.

The big-hitting Wawrinka mastered former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets to reach his third Australian Open semifinal and set up an all-Swiss clash with Federer.

The world No 4 won 7-6 (7/2) 6-4 6-3 in two hours 15 minutes for his eighth grand slam semifinal appearance and has Federer blocking his way to a fourth major final.

So often Wawrinka has been pushed into the background by the dazzling achievements of 17-time grand slam champion Federer, but he gets one of his rare chances for a prestige victory tomorrow.

“Yeah, for sure, now I’m more confident with myself. When I step on the court, [it] doesn’t matter who I play, I know what I have to do if I want to win,” Wawrinka said.

“For sure, against Roger, it’s always special because he’s so good. He’s the best player of all time. He has an answer for everything.

“But I have managed to beat him in a grand slam, so we’ll see. Most important is that I step on the court and I play my best tennis.”

Either Federer or Wawrinka will get an unexpected shot at the Australian title following the sensational early exits of world No 1 Andy Murray and six-time winner Novak Djokovic.

It was a consummate performance from Wawrinka against Tsonga in a feisty encounter.

There were some tense moments between the two with an extraordinary squabble breaking out after Wawrinka took the opening set in a tiebreaker.

During the terse conversation in French, Wawrinka was heard to tell Tsonga: “You’re the one who’s looking and talking to me,” and then, “Relax, it’s just a tennis match.”

Meanwhile, Venus Williams swatted aside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to march into the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2003.

Nineteen years after making her Australian Open debut, the 36-year-old cashed in on the experience of 73 grand slams to set up a meeting with fellow American Coco Vandeweghe, 25.

A title tilt against her sister Serena is still on the cards if she gets past Vandeweghe.