Updated: January 22, 2014, 10:50 AM ET
ESPN.com news servicesMELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer rekindled his dominance over Andy Murray in Grand Slam matches and advanced to his 11th consecutive Australian Open semifinal with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win Wednesday.
Federer clinched the victory on his third match point with an ace to set up a showdown with top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who beat Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), 6-2.
Two of the leading contenders on the men's side survived on a day when two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka was beaten 6-1, 5-7, 6-0 by Agnieszka Radwanska in the women's quarterfinals.
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Still, Nadal and Federer certainly had nervous moments.
Murray, who saved two match points in the third-set tiebreaker, has an 11-10 edge over Federer in head-to-head matches and won their last match in five sets in the Australian Open semifinals last year, but Federer has won four of five matches in majors.
The reigning Wimbledon champion, Murray got angry after a ruling while dropping serve late in the third set when he indicated that he thought the ball had bounced twice before Federer kept it in play.
Right or wrong, it seemed to spark his resurgence, breaking Federer when the 17-time major winner was serving for the match and pushing it to a fourth set when he won six of the last seven points in the tiebreaker.
Federer thought the point was OK, saying it was the umpire's call.
After spending three months off the circuit following minor back surgery, Murray appeared to be in discomfort at times in the match, clutching at his lower back.
"I was proud of the way I fought," Murray said. "That's the highest level I've played at in a long time. My serve slowed down a bit in the fourth set, especially the first couple points when I was getting up after the change of ends."
AP Photo/Rick RycroftRoger Federer beat Andy Murray for the fourth time in five Grand Slam matches between the two.
After Federer won the opening game of the fourth set, the two played a 10-deuce game in which Murray saved six break points before he leveled. But Federer broke Murray in the eighth game then held serve to win the match in 3 hours, 20 minutes.
"I'm back," Federer said. "It was a great game on many levels, not just physically ... but mentally also."
In the earlier match in Rod Laver Arena, Nadal received treatment several times for a nasty-looking blister on the palm of his left hand that he said caused him to serve slower than usual. He fended off three set points in the third, including two in the tiebreaker, and won on his first set point.
Nadal went up 2-0 in the fourth when he hit a passing backhand down the line on break point with Dimitrov standing at the net. At the end, Dimitrov appeared to wipe tears from his eyes with a towel as he walked off the court.
Nadal acknowledged that Dimitrov let him off the hook with a wide forehand on set point in the third-set tiebreaker.
"It's a tough moment mentally for an opponent," Nadal said. "If that forehand from him goes in and he wins the third, I'm going to be fighting."
Dimitrov was still emotional during his postmatch news conference, tearing up while discussing the forehand that got away.
"Obviously I got to put that in the past," he said. "I'm sure I could have done something different. But in a match, everything comes down to a split of a second ... whether in or out."
Earlier, he said: "I'm a bit shattered. I came out expecting nothing less than to win."
Azarenka's loss meant both defending champions went out in the quarterfinals; Novak Djokovic lost to Stanislas Wawrinka on Tuesday, ending his bid for a fourth consecutive men's title.
Wawrinka plays Tomas Berdych in the first men's semifinal Thursday, with Federer and Nadal set to play Friday night.
"We've had some epics over the years," Federer said. "I hope we can slug it out here in a couple of days."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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