Basel: Roger Federer and Andy Roddick cruised to straight-set wins on Friday to gain a Swiss Indoors semifinal that will be their first rematch since an epic 2009 Wimbledon final.
The top-seeded Swiss eased past Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 and the No. 4 American rode his big serve to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over David Nalbandian of Argentina.
More than 16 months after a classic, 4-hour, 16-minute encounter ended with Federer taking the fifth set 16-14, Roddick pretended to have forgotten all about it.
"What final?" he deadpanned, before acknowledging he relished the fresh challenge.
"I always look forward to playing (Roger)," said Roddick, who hit 11 aces in his win. "You want to play the best if you are an athlete and a competitor. You want to get out there and give it a go."
Federer said his 19-2 career record against Roddick was not a fair reflection of their rivalry.
"He is much better than the head-to-head record shows. We've had a lot of close matches," Federer said.
Novak Djokovic and Serbian Davis Cup teammate Viktor Troicki gained the other semifinal, also advancing with straight-set victories.
Djokovic cruised past 67th-ranked qualifier Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3, while Troicki beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-4, 6-2.
Troicki could face Gasquet again when Serbia hosts France in the Davis Cup final in Belgrade from Dec. 3-5. Djokovic said he is already focused on the "chance of a lifetime" to win the title in front of the home fans.
"It's the priority goal for the end of the year, to win that title," Djokovic said. "God knows if we are going to have another opportunity to play in the finals, especially at home. We have a quality team and if we all stay healthy and physically ready we have a chance to go the next step."
While Djokovic is the undisputed team leader, Troicki is making a case for the second-singles selection.
"Now it's interesting to play against French players. There's a little bit more tension," said Troicki, who has earned career-best results since Serbia reached the final by beating the Czech Republic in September.
"That is what is keeping me going and motivated," said the 24-year-old Serb, the winner in Moscow and a semifinalist in Tokyo.
The 32nd-ranked Troicki will compete for singles duty in Belgrade with No. 46 Janko Tipsarevic.
Tipsarevic was courtside Friday, returning the favor after Troicki attended his second-round loss against Federer on Wednesday.
"This is our biggest strength — we have really good team spirit," Troicki said. "We are good friends and not just during tournaments."
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