It was the stroke of midnight when Rafael Nadal thrust both arms up and then punched the air, an extra exuberant celebration after sealing the victory he needed to set up one of the most anticipated Australian Open semifinals ever.

Roger Federer played his part in the previous match on Rod Laver Arena, beating 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets to formally mark his 1,000th tour-level match.

Roger Federer's 1,000th match was similar to most in his career — no-nonsense, dominating from the start, some incredible shots, and yes, victory.

Four-time champion Federer advanced to his ninth straight Australian Open semifinal with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win Tuesday over Juan Martin del Potro, the man who beat him for the U.S. Open title in 2009.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters ousted top seed Caroline Wozniacki and ended her controversial reign as world number one with a straight-sets win in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Clijsters held off a determined fight-back from the 21-year-old Dane to win 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) in 1hr 45min and set up a semi-final against third seed Victoria Azarenka, who beat Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska.

NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah returned from injury to guide the Chicago Bulls to an emphatic 110-95 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

Rose, who had missed four games with a sprained left big toe, scored 22 points with eight assists.

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been voted the Serie A player of 2011 by his fellow players, and the Rossoneri won another award with Massimilliano Allegri winning best coach.

The trophies were handed out Monday at a ceremony and were voted on by more than 5,000 people, made up of footballers, coaches, referees and journalists.

Manchester City's controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli could be suspended for four matches after he was charged on Monday with violent conduct by the Football Association (FA).

The 21-year-old Italian international has been charged over images appearing to show that he deliberately stamped on Tottenham Hotspur's England midfielder Scott Parker's head during Sunday's 3-2 Premier League win over the London side.

Serena Williams' 17-match winning streak at the Australian Open ended Monday in a stunning 6-2, 6-3 loss to Ekaterina Makarova, the lowest-ranked woman in the fourth round.

The dominant force at Melbourne Park this century, Williams had lost only two matches at Melbourne Park since winning the first of her five Australian Open titles in 2003. After losing in the 2008 quarterfinals, she won titles in 2009 and 2010 before sitting out last year because of injury.

British adventurer Felicity Aston has crossed Antarctica, becoming the first woman to cross the icy continent alone.

Aston also set another record: the first human to ski across Antarctica using only her own muscle power.

Roy Hibbert battled through the discomfort of a possible broken nose to finish with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds as the Indiana Pacers edged the Los Angeles Lakers 98-96.

The 25-year-old centre was bloodied in the first quarter during a foul on Lakers star Kobe Bryant but remained in the game.

Russian superstar Yevgeny Plushenko will be the star attraction as he looks to test his form for a possible challenge at the 2014 Olympics during the European figure skating championships which get underway here on Monday.

Plushenko, the 2006 Olympic and six-time European champion, has not competed in an international competition since taking silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games.