Djokovic puts down Federer fightback to reach final

Serbia's Novak Djokovic (R) and Switzerland's Roger Federer shake hands at the net after Djokovic won their semi-final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 28, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

"I executed everything perfectly. A two-set lead is more comforting but it was a battle in the end."

Djokovic continued his grand slam mastery of the 34-year-old Swiss, having beaten him in six of their previous seven matches at the majors, including last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals.

The head-to-head record between the pair has now also swung symbolically in Djokovic's favour, with the Serb edging ahead 23-22 in their 45 matches.

The record 15th grand slam encounter between the pair was billed as a blockbuster but threatened to be a one-sided rout.

The 15,000 spectators barely had time to settle in their seats before Djokovic had sewn up the first set in 22 minutes.