By Luke Costin


MELBOURNE Jabrill Peppers Youth Jersey , Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Four-time champion Novak Djokovic has credited Boris Becker for his improved mentality after the world No.1 had another flawless victory at the Australian Open on Wednesday.


Big serving eighth seed Milos Raonic left Djokovic unchallenged as the Serb, who has dropped serve just once this tournament, recorded a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-2.


The top seed will next play the defending champion, No.4 seed Stan Wawrinka, who also had little worry making it past Asia's No.1, Kei Nishikori, earlier in the day.


Djokovic, who won Wimbledon and four Masters titles last year, said the biggest contribution from Becker since his appointment twelve months ago had been psychologically.


"Because he was the No.1 player of the world, multiple Grand Slam winner, he understands exactly the kind of obstacles and challenges - mental challenges - I have to go through and I'm facing during a match," he said.


"Especially in the later stages of tournaments. That's where we talk a lot.


"We went through the same circumstances and situations in our careers. That's where he can help me the most."


It was in the head where Djokovic most easily succeeded against Raonic, whose questioning of himself only sped up his defeat.


Raonic has established himself as a top-10 player with a superior serve that is difficult to crack.


But against one of the sport's greatest returners, it was more regularly under pressure and led to Raonic making awful choices when trying to force winners.


Raonic lost 12 points from his 23 net approaches and rarely looked comfortable having even less time to figure out a way to put a ball past the world No.1.


In the most obvious display of Djokovic's first-rate mental game, he won two sets in five minutes by rushing the Canadian still ruing a missed opportunity.


The world No.1 boldly attacked Raonic's serve in the first game of the second set as Raonic's mind was still replaying the errors made to lost the previous set's tiebreak.


The Serb broke within five points and that early break turned out to be the second set's decisive break, crushing Raonic's slim hopes.


Another significant difference was the eighth seed's inability to pressure the Djokovic serve.


He won just 12 points and failed to put a third of Djokovic's balls in play.


Many of the other two-thirds of attempted returns were hit so poorly, they popped up and invited the world No.1 to control the point.


"If you watch the footage, he was pretty much on the baseline the whole time (during rallies) and I was further back," said a downcast world No.8.


Thus, with his own serve basically insurmountable, the man who won over 14 million U.S. dollars in prize money last year rolled into the final four with ease.


"From the first game till the last, I played the way I wanted," Djokovic said.


The world No.1 has won the title each year he has made the semi-final and, given his flawless tennis so far, the Serb is odds-on favorite to take his eighth Grand Slam on Sunday night.


Standing in his way of Sunday's final is Stan Wawrinka, the only man to beat Djokovic at Melbourne Park since 2010.


The world No.4 did so by winning 9-7 in the fifth set of their 2014 quarter-final, the third consecutive time the pair went to five sets in a Grand Slam.


"I'm going to be ready for a fight," said Djokovic.


"But knowing that have raised the level of the performance tonight, and probably played (my) best match of the tournament so far, is affecting my confidence in a very positive way."


The fit-looking Serb was confident his preparation was optimal for the challenge ahead.


"It's a very physical battle (against Wawrinka).


"But I haven't had too many long matches during this tournament.


"I am ready for it."


In Thursday's women's semi-finals, an ill Serena Williams will face up against another player running at less than 100 per cent, 19-year-old Madison Keys.


Keys, who took up tennis as a four-year-old after watching the Williams sisters, strained her left adductor in her win over Venus Williams on Wednesday.


In the earlier match, world No. 2 Maria Sharapova will try to make an Australian Open final for the first time since 2012 when she takes on fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova.




FARAH£¬ Afghanistan£¬ March 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 47 armed militants have been killed and more than 50 others injured as government forces stormed Taliban positions in the western Farah province on Wednesday£¬ a senior army official in the province Raz Mohammad Oryakhil said.


"As the result of well-coordinated operations launched against Taliban positions in Bala Block district of Farah province early today morning so far 47 rebels have been killed and 51 others injured£¬" Oryakhil told Xinhua.


The official earlier put the number of Taliban deaths 30 and injured insurgents 41£¬ saying the operations targeted Taliban bastion in Shiwan area at 01:00 a.m. local time.


Bala Block has been regarded as Taliban hotbed in the western Farah province with Farah city as its capital 695 km west of Kabul.


Operations would continue until the insurgents are wiped out from the area.


Taliban militants who are active in parts of Farah province are yet to make comment.


¡ð A historical novel sympathizing with landlords during the CPC-led land reform is under attack


¡ð Some Maoists believe books like this risk undermining the legitimacy of the CPC


¡ð Open discussion of the agrarian revolution period is still regarded as taboo today


A farmer ploughs in a village in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, in February 2011. Photo: CFP


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