Kei Nishikori leads generation next into Brisbane semis

Brisbane: Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov lived up to their status as new-generation Grand Slam contenders by winning through to the semifinals of the Brisbane International with victories on Friday.

Dimitrov had 6-3, 6-4 win over Martin Klizan of Slovakia, and his semifinal opponent will be the winner of the night match between Roger Federer and Australia's James Duckworth.

Nishikori breezed past Australia's Bernard Tomic 6-0, 6-4 while Raonic had more of a struggle against another local in Sam Groth, winning 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (2).

Neither Nishikori, Raonic nor Dimitrov has won a major title yet, but are considered strong contenders for the Australian Open, starting Jan. 19.

Ana Ivanovic reached the women's final with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Varvara Lepchenko.