Fiery Federer dumps Agassi out of Open

Roger Federer sent out a chilling warning to his title rivals with a straight sets demolition of Andre Agassi to charge into the semis.

Roger Federer sent out a chilling warning to his title rivals with a straight sets demolition of Andre Agassi to charge into the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

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The world number one stretched his unbeaten match streak to 26 as he put the four-time winner and eighth seed to the sword, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour 39 minutes.

Federer, who hasn't lost against a top-ten player in 24 matches since October 2003, was irresistible as he tore apart the eight-times Grand Slam champion to set up a semi-final on Thursday with Marat Safin, whom he beat in last year's final.

Yet again the 23-year-old Swiss ace showed why he is in a class of his own as he closes in on his fifth Grand Slam crown and third in a row.

Federer's virtuoso performance enabled him to equal Agassi's stretch of 26 unbeaten matches set back in 1995 — the joint third-longest winning streak since 1990 behind Austrian Thomas Muster's 35 in 1995.