London, Jan 24 : World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic hammered fourth seed David Ferrer in the Australian Open semifinal to book a spot in the final and stay on course for a hat trick of Melbourne title.

The Serb had too much speed on the ground and off his strings for the Spaniard, winning 6-2 6-2 6-1 in one hour and 29 minutes, the BBC reports.

Djokovic went on to win his third Australian title in 2012, and this year is trying to become the first man since the Open era began in 1968 to win it three times in a row.

The champ can now enjoy a 48-hour rest until Sunday''s final, awaiting the outcome of Friday''s second semi-final between Murray and Roger Federer.

Ferrer had matched his seeding of fourth by making the semi-finals, and had five wins over Djokovic to draw hope from, but he never threatened an upset.

A more telling statistic was that in 14 meetings between the two, Ferrer had never won a match on outdoor hard courts.

Djokovic has become the man to beat at Melbourne Park in recent years and, after a quiet start, he made his move in game five. (ANI)