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Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic met on tennis court in a professional match for the 20th time two days ago. The Swiss leads in their H2H confrontation 13-7, but only 4-3 at majors. With 7 matches played against each other, … Continue reading
Federer wins four games in a row and after a return winner leads 5:2* (15/0) – Djokovic gets the momentum and wins five straight games and the set being two points away from losing it at *4:5 (30-all). In the 3rd set Djokovic again breaks to lead 2:1, this time holds his serve in the next few games. Federer levels up from 2:4 to *4:4 but loses the 9th game with poor shot selection and despite saving a double match point in the following game, has to walk off the court as a loser – his first defeat after 15-match winning streak. Federer won one game less from set to set, but paradoxically, the time of each set was increasing (58, 60, 62). I guess it’s interesting that they’ve played the third semifinal of a major against each other with a similar scoreline. Here are the scorelines of those matches and their duration:
close that the 2nd set would be a copy of the first one. The first break for Murray, then a ri-break for Ferrer and the Spaniard has a set point at 5:4… Murray saves it with a service winner – after the match he tells Jim Courier, he thought it was 3:4 not 4:5! Saving the set point was vital – Murray in the middle of the 2nd set had changed his tactics attacking the net more often, but after the set point in the 10th game, he was more convincing from the back of the court than his opponent, and winning the 3rd set easily, he led 2:0* (30/0) in the 4th set. An ambitious and pertinacious Ferrer saved a break point in that game and just like in the sets No. 2 and 3, he broke back Murray immediately. For the second time, the tie-break was required, and for the second time, Ferrer could not do too much in it. It’s amazing that “Pics” has lost his last 11 tie-breaks in Melbourne! He won out there only one tie-break – the first he played in 2004 against Gilles Muller. “I think toward the end of the second set I started going for my shots more. I was missing a lot earlier,” Murray said. “I changed my string tension and managed to come through. I changed my tactics … played closer to the baseline, waiting for my shots a bit more.”
After impressive wins over Gael Monfils and Andy Roddick on Rod Laver Arena, Wawrinka disappointed totally on the same court playing against his compatriot Federer in the first all-Swiss quarterfinal at a major in the Open era. Perhaps Wawrinka was affected by the sun, because his two previous matches had played in night session and the average speed of his 1st serve had been distinctively higher (200 kph with Roddick, 16 kph slower with Federer). The only moment of the match when the final outcome was open, occurred in the middle of the 2nd set as Wawrinka had a break point leading 3:2, Federer won seven straight games since then… “I think it was a good match for me really. I started off well. Was able to serve and return really well… I expected him during today[‘s match] to even serve bigger because the ball travels faster through the air. For some reason I was able to return him well.” says Federer, who was playing in his record-tying 27th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal! Wawrinka’s first loss this year after 9 consecutive wins.
It was an equal match (played indoors) with high level of play from both sides only in the 2nd set. Berdych was very tense at the beginning of the encounter, he was missing a lot especially from his forehand side. In the 2nd set he had his opportunities to level at one set apiece but every time at the most important stages (4:1*, 30-all; 5:4* 30/15 & 5:5* in the tie-break), Djokovic was more patient and able to force his rival to make a mistake. After very long, 78-minute set, Berdych couldn’t regroup and lost the 3rd set as quick as the 1st set (less than 40 minutes). “Pretty much I can be disappointed with the second set,” says Berdych. “I took over a little bit and was playing well, aggressive enough, and somehow he starts to make at least a couple of mistakes that give me a chance to have a break”.
Dolgopolov was behind his opponent all the time, but left better aesthetic impression leaving the court… Murray began the match like the previous ones – in an impressive style – led 4:1* (deuce) but the Ukrainian managed to erase one break of serve and was close to get the tie-break after saving a couple set points – finally Murray hit the line with his backhand return. In the 3rd set Murray led 3:1, then had three mini-match points – Dolgopolov saved them all with very good serves and risky play. The set cost Dolgopolov too much energy and experienced Brit jumped quickly into a *4:0 lead in the 4th set. Dolgopolov caught up a bit but there was too late to dream about the third consecutive 5-setter. “It was very tough, every point was different, he hits, just different,” says Murray. “He came back at me well in the third set, but I did well in the end. I had to go for my shots a little bit more, I was a little bit tentative in the tiebreak, so went for my shots a bit more and that settled me down. It was a tough match, and a good one to get through.“
everyone would expect that this time Nadal is facing a tough test. And then, happened something strange, Nadal disappeared from the court and came back a few minutes later screwed up. He took a medical-time twice in the set but a grimace on his face didn’t change to the end. The older Spaniard was controlling all longer rallies and finished the match with a winning forehand after two and a half hours of play, ending Nadal’s streak of 25 successive matches won in Grand Slam tournaments. “In general, I had a virus. When you have a virus, your body goes down and you have more risk of everything,” he explained. “That’s probably what happened. That’s the simple thing.” Here is a list of the longest Grand Slam streaks (matches won in a row) in the Open era:
Andy Murray. Unfortunately the 4th round didn’t deliver any drama and emotions: five straight set wins, two short 4-setters and one 5-setter, also a short one – a sensation of the tournament, Alexandr Dolgopolov survived the second consecutive match in a short 5-setter, after beating Tsonga (2:19 h), needed only 2 hours 36 minutes of mixing slices and top-spins to eliminate Soderling, who always play poor tennis at the Australian Open, this year advanced to the 4th round for the first time. Definitely the biggest success in his career, Dolgopolov accepted calmly; does he think a Grand Slam quarterfinal is not a peak of his abilities? Seemingly, his next match against Murray looks like the easiest one to predict – last year’s finalist Murray has been in a terrific form – in his first four matches has not lost more than three games in a set! Murray comments after destroying Melzer: “The matches are definitely going to get tougher. I’m not expecting to go through the tournament winning matches like that, with that score line. So I’m ready for that mentally when it does get tough. Where there has been tight moments, like today it was right at the beginning of the match, went up a break, got broken straight back, I managed to break him in the next game“.
hard, unorthodox forehand. “Dolgo” isn’t very young – 22, but he is a new face on the main tour, two years ago (2008) finished the season at the No. 309, in the last season played his first three majors and improved his ranking position considerably (moved from No. 131 to 48). Today has achieved the best career result destroying Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [13] in the last two sets of their five-setter (just 44 minutes) – for Tsonga, who was affected a bit by right hip injury, it’s the first 5-set loss (he beat in five sets Dolgopolov during the last Wimbledon). The Ukrainian says: “For sure it’s probably the biggest match I’ve won for now. This year I got a lot stronger physically. I worked out consistently in the preparation for the year, so I’m feeling a lot better. Feeling good, feeling solid, so I can really get my game up with the level because I don’t need to do, like stupid shots, you know, miss a lot.”
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Xavier Malisse and Roger Federer met for the first time in a Davis Cup rubber in 1999. It was a quarterfinal tie, which Belgium won over Switzerland thanks to Malisse, who outplayed Federer in four sets. They both were prospective … Continue reading
A young Canadian qualifier (was a set and a break down in his last qualifying match) of Montenegrin origin, 20-year-old Milos Raonic [152] is tall (6’5″ – 196 cm), possesses a huge serve and good nerves. Is he a material for the best player of Canada in the Open era? Time will tell, today he won his second straight match after #an identical scoreline – 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 – out-serving (21-10 in aces) inconsistent Michael Llodra [24]. Raonic states: “This is my biggest result. It’s my biggest achievement to date. But I hope to do more than this. I feel like I can. I feel like I’m playing at a level that I’m still there and I’m there with the top guys“. Also two tie-breaks and a set won ‘6-3’ needed Australian hope of Bosnian/Croatian descent – Bernard Tomic [199], and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [13], but in different configurations – Tomic against Feliciano Lopez [31] won the first two sets after tie-breaks, Tsonga against Andreas Seppi [51] the last two. For both, Raonic and almost two years younger Tomic, the third round at the Australian Open is the best achievement at the main 
level in their short careers. Ahead of Tomic is much more difficult task in the next round as he faces the top seed and the main title contender Rafael Nadal [1], who has lost only four games in two matches in Melbourne this year!!
Later on, Tipsarevic led 5:3* (30-0), and Verdasco won two consecutive points with help of an amateurish drop-shot and overhead! The Serb served once again to win the match at 6:5, after the second-serve ace he had double match point – Verdasco saved both match points with passing-shots (Tipsarevic played three volleys at the second m.p.!). The drama was continuing when Tipsarevic saved two break points to get another match point. Two points before, Verdasco signalized problems with his right ankle, but was running amazingly during the third m.p., and after a lot of stretching from both sides, Carlos Ramos overruled a decision of the linesman which would have given a match for the Serb, who couldn’t challenge the ball due to lack of challenges remaining! It was a turning point of the match, after that rally Tipsarevic lost everything, his energy, his concentration and his fighting spirit – Verdasco notched a streak of 19 points won in a row (!) and comfortably got the 5th set, finishing the match with three consecutive aces, served 23 aces during his almost 3-hour 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 triumph. Verdasco: “I think that…every time you win one match like this in a Grand Slam it’s important for yourself to get confidence to see that you are good physically and mentally. It was of course, very important win after coming again two sets to love down, and also saving match point in the fourth set…I think it’s very positive for me.”
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Lleyton Hewitt [54] and David Nalbandian [21] met on Rod Laver Arena for the second time after six years (but on the surface with a different color) and just like in 2005, they played a wonderful, dramatic match, without any … Continue reading
Juan Martin del Potro [236] came to Melbourne last year admittedly with suspicious physical shape, but in a glory of the US Open ’09 champion. Now, after a wasted year due to injury, tries to rebuild his position in the tennis world and his first step is notable – he beats Dudi Sela [92] in straight sets, winning #the third longest tie-break in the Australian Open history. In the tie-break of the 1st set he saved five set points (5:6, 7:8, 8:9, 11:12, 12:13), two of them on opponent’s serve, in impressive style the last one when played a forehand winner DTL of the tramlines.
Other youngsters, Milos Raonic and Richard Berankis won their matches in straight sets as well, Raonic served 27 aces in his first Grand Slam win.
