Miami – 4R

The three best players again won their matches without any troubles (it is boring, isn’t?), none of them lost four games in a set. Roger Federer‘s match with Olivier Rochus (6-3, 6-1) started after midnight at 12:37, in their first encounter six years ago, also in Miami, Federer won after identical scoreline, the difference – then needed 72 minutes, this time 52. They began very late due to bad weather and long matches on Centre Court (Maria Sharapova needed 3:28 to win her match for instance…) A meeting between Tomas Berdych and Florian Mayer was interrupted by rain after the 1st set. Berdych won 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 being two points away from defeat five times at *5:6 in the decisive set. In the most interesting match of the day, Mardy Fish [15] struggled past Juan Martin del Potro after very long two-setter 7-5, 7-6 (2 hours 25 minutes). The Argentinian had his chances in both sets, squandered 5 mini-set points at 4:4 in the 1st set, led 30-0 on Fish’s serve at 4:4 in the 2nd set. The end of the match was thrilling, Fish led 5:0 in the tie-break and twisted a bit his right ankle making a forehand winner to get a triple match point. Del Potro quickly fought off two match points with service winners but Fish responded with a service winner too. Fish has had an excellent tie-break record since Queens Club 2008, 24-7 (.774); before that tournament he had had considerably negative career tie-break record! “It was pretty high quality tennis for the better part of it, I think. I’m sure he came off thinking he played pretty well. And I played great,” said Fish, who indeed was excellent from the back of the court but in the 1st set made a couple ridiculous errors at the net, uncharacteristic for himself. The 29-year-old Fish will be the highest ranked American next Monday if he beats David Ferrer in the quarterfinals, overtaking Andy Roddick and obtaining the highest ATP position in career – “You just kind of feel like coming through with Andy and the career that he’s put together, you really feel like it would probably be pretty tough to still feel like I was the No. 1 American.” The only unseeded player in the quarterfinals, Kevin Anderson [40] – has signed himself for the first time in the last 8 of such a big event. The South-African player in the battle of two giants (Anderson – 203 cm, John Isner – 206 cm) took a revenge for three straight defeats. Anderson rallied from a 0:3 deficit in the 3rd set of his second round clash with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Anderson prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.