Paris – semifinals

2nd semifinal:

(4)David Ferrer d. (WC)Michael Llodra        7-5, 6-3                [1:50 h]

It would have been completely different match if Llodra had converted 1 of 10 break points in the 1st set (2, 5, 1, 1, 1 respectively in Ferrer’s first five service games!). Both guys fit to a “veteran” category, but Ferrer is a veteran only by his huge experience, he still runs across the court like a teenager. Llodra is known as a front-runner so when he lost his serve for the first time this week in the 12th game (Ferrer’s backhand return winner on set point), his chances decreased rapidly. As it happens often, after snapping such a long streak, a player loses his serve a few times short afterwards, so did Llodra – he was broken twice at the beginning of the 2nd set. Loud chanting “Mi-ka! Mi-ka!” gave him a second wind, and he cut the deficit from 0:4* to 3:5* (30-all). Ferrer is astonishingly solid though, and maximal concentration helped him to win another two points awarding a berth in the final. No doubts 30-year-old Spaniard enjoys the best season of his career, now he has added first big final indoors to his rich collection of beautiful results. “I feel good. I am very happy because I am in the final,” Ferrer said. “Tomorrow, it’s going to be a very difficult match because my opponent, he’s playing very, very good.”

1st semifinal:

(q)Jerzy Janowicz d. Gilles Simon             6-4, 7-5               [1:29 h]

Janowicz adjusted himself to a big arena beating Murray and Tipsarevic, but facing Simon was a bit new territory for him, because the Pole was a crowd favorite in previous matches as an underdog, this time he had to deal with a local pupil. Fortunately the Parisian crowd was very fair throughout, there was a cheering after Janowicz’s 1st serve misses, nevertheless spectators awarded with ovation his spectacular points as well. There was one break of serve in each set: to ’15’ on both cases, at 2-all in the 1st and 5-all in the 2nd set. Simon only once got ‘deuce’ on Janowicz’s serve, at the beginning of the 2nd set. The Frenchman couldn’t do anything on serves of his opponent (astonishing 88% 1st serve in, with a 212 km/h average speed in the 1st set!), but he began to read JJ’s awesome dropshots pretty well in the 2nd set, regardless of that, Janowicz made a dropshot to break Simon in the 11th game (followed up with an exchange of characteristic glares with his Finnish coach Kim Tiilikainen), and played two more dropshots on match points, the second one was crucial. Janowicz is a cool customer between the points, however, his post-match reactions are extremely emotional – this time he showed tears of joy as he stood up from initial celebrating on knees with head covered by hands. ‘The Pole vaulter’ becomes the 9th qualifier to reach a final of ‘Masters 1000’ events # “This is what I saw from his game on the previous matches, and I was not surprised with how he played against me today. He is very difficult to return. Normally I’m supposed to be one of the best returners on the tour, and I was not able to do that today.” said Simon. Stats of the match

 # Qualifiers in Masters 1000 finals:

1991 – Alberto Mancini (Rome)
1996 – Robert Carretero (Hamburg) – won!
2000 – Harel Levy (Toronto)
2001 – Albert Portas (Hamburg) – won!
2001 – Max Mirnyi (Stuttgart)
2004 – Radek Stepanek (Paris)
2005 – Richard Gasquet (Hamburg)
2007 – Guillermo Canas (Miami)
2012 – Jerzy Janowicz (Paris)