Federer goes for triple play

NEW YORK – In heat or wind, before a crowd for or against him, facing Andre Agassi’s baseline bashing or Tim Henman’s get-to-the-net style: When Roger Federer is on his game, it doesn’t seem to matter what he has to deal with.

Now Lleyton Hewitt will try to disrupt him.

The top-ranked Federer moved within a victory of becoming the first man since 1988 to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a year, beating No. 5 Henman 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 Saturday in the U.S. Open semifinals.

“I feel very confident out on the court,” Federer said. “It’s important that every day, I wake up, I’m 100 percent into tennis and ready to go.”

In today’s final, Federer will play 2001 Open champion Hewitt, who was nearly flawless himself in eliminating No. 28 Joachim Johansson 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. As Hewitt scrambled along the baseline, getting to everything Johansson offered, his sneakers squeaked with each step, sounding like high-pitched bird chirps.

It was the first time since 1986 that no Americans were in the men’s semifinals at the U.S. Open.

Only three players have more than five career wins over Federer, and two are Henman (now 6-3 against the Swiss star) and Hewitt (8-5). Asked what weaknesses of Federer’s he’ll try to exploit, Hewitt said: “I don’t know. There’s not a lot of them.”

The crowds at the Open love an underdog, and Henman got more positive energy Saturday than he normally does at Wimbledon, where he’s hounded by the pressure of a nation looking for a British champion.

The fans tried to will him past Federer, who silenced them by conjuring twice as many winners (31) as unforced errors (15). Federer might not hit serves at 150 mph the way Andy Roddick does, but he knows where to place them and how to vary them. He befuddled Henman at the start, winning 12 straight points on serve – only twice in that span did Henman manage to put the ball in play.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who hits the ball like that,” said Henman, 0-6 in major semifinals.