Roger Federer puts an 18-match win streak at his home Swiss Indoors tournament on the line Saturday against old school friend Marco Chiudinelli in the semifinals. The dream scenario in the hometown of both men will be the first for the pair in their tennis careers. Federer, winner of the last three editions here, dispatched Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 6-2 in his quarterfinal while world No. 73 Chiudinelli hammered Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-3 to reach his first semifinal. “It's so rare that I play a good friend like this,” Federer said of his school friend and former rival on the football pitch. “It should be a great experience. Marco has really been improving this year. It will be tough but enjoyable.” Novak Djokovic stayed atop the ATP win list with his 69th victory of a draining campaign Friday to reach the semifinals, then admitted he's dreaming of a December vacation. The Serbian second seed defeated Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, the sixth seed, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 after trailing a set and a break. “A proper off-season should be a month and a half or so,” Djokovic said of a break which will amount to a month for those elite players participating in the eight-man Wold Tour Finals in London from Nov. 22. “I don't know what I'll do (in December) but I know I have to rest - that is just as important as work. “I've played the most matches this season. We have some important meetings coming up in Paris (next week's Masters) and London and we need to discuss the future of our sport,” said the member of an ATP Player Council headed by Federer. Djokovic will now face Radek Stepanek who dimmed the qualifying hopes of Croatian Marin Cilic for a last-gasp spot in the season-ending ATP finals with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 upset. Croatia's Cilic stands provisional 12th in the points race as he fights for one of a pair of slots remaining open in London. Murray, Davydenko in semis Top-seeded Andrew Murray carried his comeback into the Valencia Open semifinals by cruising past Albert Montanes of Spain 6-4, 6-2 Friday. Murray was comfortable throughout his 73-minute match, breaking Montanes in the first game and the ninth for the first set, and racing 4-0 ahead in the second in his first event in six weeks. The Briton last competed in Davis Cup in September, then was sidelined by a wrist injury. Gunning for his sixth title of the year, and first since August, Murray will meet another Spaniard, 2004 Valencia champion Fernando Verdasco, Saturday Fourth-seeded Verdasco eliminated seventh-seeded countryman Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-2, tying their career matchups at 4-4. Verdasco looked in command in the first set and an early break in the second put him ahead. A close line call in the sixth game of the second unsettled Robredo and a crosscourt forehand gave Verdasco another break point which he converted before serving out the match. The victory also boosted Verdasco's hopes of securing one of the two remaining berths for the ATP Tour finals this month in London. Second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko improved his chances by beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-4, 7-6 (3), but another contender, fifth-seeded Gilles Simon of France, was set back in falling to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4, 6-4. Davydenko and Youzhny meet in the other semifinal. Pennetta to open United States team captain Mary Joe Fernandez insisted the pressure was on Italy ahead of this weekend's 2009 Fed Cup final here. Italy's world No. 11 Flavia Pennetta will open the final against Alexa Glatch following Friday's draw. That will be followed by Italian No. 2 and world No. 16 Francesca Schiavone against 18-year-old Melanie Oudin, the top seeded American. The pairings will then reverse for Sunday's singles matches and if a decisive fifth rubber is needed Roberta Vinci and Sara Erani will play Liezel Huber and Vania King in the doubles.
