Returning to grand slam play after six months out, Roger Federer knew he had a few good matches in him.
But his run at the Australian Open - strolling into the semi-finals with a stunning win over German giant-killer Mischa Zverev - surprised even him.
Federer barely broke a sweat on Rod Laver Arena as he breezed to a 6-1 7-5 6-2 victory, needing only 19 minutes to wrap up the first set against Zverev, who last round eliminated world No.1 Andy Murray.
In the final four, Federer will face fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who earlier ousted Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also in straight sets.
Federer admitted after the match that he'd already surpassed his expectations for the tournament, his first grand slam after six months out rehabilitating his injured left knee.
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Depending on the draw, the 35-year-old hoped to make "a fourth round or the quarters".
"I never thought it was going to be this good, and here I am in a semi against Stan. It couldn't be cooler for the both of us," Federer said.
Federer questioned whether the grind of playing back-to-back best of five-set matches early in his comeback would bring him undone.
"I felt I was always going to be dangerous on any given day in a match situation," he said.
"But obviously as the tournament would progress, maybe I would fade away with energy, you know, that kind of stuff.
"Now that I'm in the semis, feeling as good as I am, playing as good as I am, that's a huge surprise to me."
Gunning for his first grand slam title in almost five years, Federer delivered a precision performance, particularly in the first set against the world No.50 Zverev.
The two players last met in Halle in 2013 when Federer blitzed his opponent 6-0 6-0.
Thirteen minutes in on Tuesday night, it looked like Federer would extend his run of games with another bagel until Zverev got on the board for 5-1 in the first set.
The second set produced a closer contest with serve-and-volley specialist Zverev breaking the 17th seed early to go to a 3-1 lead.
But it was his only break of the match as Federer hit back and lifted his play towards the end of the set, crushing Zverev's spirit to break him to love at 5-5 before serving out the set.
Federer continued the third set in the same style to book his 41st appearance in a grand slam semi-final and his 13th at the Australian Open in the past 14 years, with the last of his four crowns at Melbourne Park coming back in 2010.
Federer said he couldn't have asked for more.
"It was as good as it possibly could have gone," he said.
"I'm pleased with the way I started the match. Right away I got off to a great start against him, like I did against him a few years ago. After that, naturally everything's easier."
