2011 Australian Open: Roger Federer ousts compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka
Countrymen battling! Relax fans; though this phrase might describe the current situation in various countries around the world, it actually sums up the quarterfinal match
at the 2011 Australian Open. Four-time Australian Open champion, Roger Federer met compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka for the first quarterfinal match of the Grand Slam.
Only two matches away from adding another feather in his cap, Federer decimated Wawrinka in a comfortable straight sets victory. Looking to win his fifth Australian Open
title, Federer hopes to defeat Andre Agassi’s record of most Australian Open wins in the Open Era.
Meeting for the eighth time on the courts, Federer came into the match enjoying a one-sided 6-1 lead in the career head to head and a three match winning streak which he
only extended after his match today.
Opening serve in the first set, Federer rushed into a 3-0 lead winning the first game at 40-0 and breaking Wawrinka’s serve in the second set at 15-40. The number one Swiss
was able to extend his lead to 5-1 after he was successful in breaking Wawrinka’s serve after four deuces. Taking less than thirty minutes, Federer was able to wrap up a breadstick win winning the seventh game after only one deuce.
Enter the second set, Federer opened serve and had the score tied for six games with not being able to catch a break, though he never gave one up either. Cashing in on his
compatriot’s errors, Federer caught a lucky break in the fourteenth game to lead the game 5-3. Coming in the sixteenth game, Federer fought back long and hard, succeeding in clinching a 6-3 victory after four gruelling deuces.
Leading the set score 2-0, Federer took a 3-0 lead in the third set extending it to 4-1 before wrapping up another straight sets victory with a 6-3 win in the final set.
In a match that lasted almost two hours, the number two seed struck twenty nine (29) winners including five (5) aces, lost only twenty of seventy five (20 of 75) points
on service and succeeded in converting five of seven (5 of 7) break point opportunities to secure a berth for himself in the semi-finals.
Federer will next play either Novak Djokovic for a 2008 Australian Open semi-final rematch or world number six, Tomas Berdych.
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