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If there is one thing that can be said about this matchup, it is that it comes with some excitement and anticipation. This does not happen often with a match that involves Federer, as the likelihood of his defeat is almost nonexistent.

That being said, what are Andy Roddick’s odds of winning this semifinal match? Well, without a doubt, his fans would be tickled with delight if he managed the unthinkable and defeated the defending Australian Open champion. But, can he do the unthinkable?

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Roddick and his improved game, ever since his stroke of genius to hire Jimmy Connors as his coach. The improvement is evident and, in fact, he did accomplish the unthinkable feat at the Kooyong Classic in the week leading up to Melbourne, when he defeated Roger Federer. However, the Kooyong Classic was an exhibition tournament, so does that still count?

Betting on Andy Roddick is not completely a stretch of the imagination. As mentioned earlier, his all-round game has improved. He no longer seems to rely simply on a serve game, content to ace his way through a match with the occasional hammering out of points from the baseline. Instead, he has become more aggressive in his play, approaching the net more often and slapping some incredible backhand winners that were definitely not part of his repertoire last year.

That being said, while he has worked on improving his total game, his serve is not as effective as it once was. With only 71 aces in the tournament up to this point, he sits in second place when normally he would be in first. Then again, his serve has not won him a tournament in some time. Perhaps, he is simply demonstrating his areas of improvement and holding back on his serve. Against Federer, he just might feel inclined to rifle into his old bag of tricks, bring out that big serve and ace his way through a set or two.

However, Federer is pretty good, if not perfect, at his return game, and despite Andy Roddick’s improvement, he will be hard pressed to dethrone the champion.

Prediction: Federer is for tennis what Tiger Woods is for Golf - a man in his own league. While Andy Roddick will bring his best against Federer and perhaps make him glisten with a sweat drop or two, Federer is as tactful as he is skillful, and should come away with the victory.

 Federer in five sets.

*** UPDATE: In what was deemed by some in the media to be a classic 'popcorn match', Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick by a blowout score of 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in just 83 minutes. Asked about the match afterwards, Roddick, who had stated earlier in the week that he thought the gap between himself and Federer was closing, said, "It was frustrating. You know, it was miserable. It sucked. It was terrible. Besides that, it was fine." Federer now moves on to his record seventh-straight Grand Slam final, where he will face Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a +500 underdog in the finals of the Australian Open, while Federer is a huge -1000 favorite to win his tenth Grand Slam title. ***

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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.