Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych – Quarterfinal Preview: Western & Southern Open 2011
Swiss maestro Roger Federer a.k.a the Old Man takes on the overrated Czech Tomas Berdych in their quarterfinal match at the 2011 Western and Southern Financial Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, 19th August.
Taking to the courts right after Rafael Nadal’s quarterfinal match against Mardy Fish, Federer will be looking to book a spot for himself in the last four in redemption for his early round exit to Jo-WilfriedTsonga in the Rogers Cup in Montreal last week.
Having plummeted in the rankings since the start of the year, the Old Man Swiss relinquished his either of top two spot in a very long time after he dropped to world number three following his unsuccessful title defence and a semi-final exit at the Australian Open. Although he opened the season winning a title in Doha, it was an easy win since the Fed Express faced no real threat as he clinched the title against only former world number three, Nikolay Davydenko.
With only one title to his name so far, Federer made it to the semi-finals of most of the events he played in. A runner up at Doha, and semi-finalist at Indian Wells and Miami, Federer proved that he still has a lot more to bring to the table despite his age. It’s only when he’s facing Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic that he fails to deliver his best. Well then praise his luck he isn’t facing either of them in the quarterfinals. Federer fans can take consolation in the fact that he will probably move past the Czech with much ease.
Defending champion at the Cincinnati Masters, the Swiss is playing in his eleventh year here recording an impressive 23-6 win loss career mark here. Debuting in 2000, the Swiss went suffered some early round exits in the early years though he soon attuned himself to the courts winning his first title here in 2005. The Old Man Swiss then repeated the feat in 2007 and then again with back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010. A veteran here amongst all the quarterfinalists, Federer has a pool of experience on his side in addition to the statistical edge he enjoys over his opponent.
Compared to Federer, Berdych is no more than a blip on the opponent radar. Making it big in 2010 after finishing up as a runner up at Wimbledon, the former world number six has failed to dazzle fans in 2011. With quarterfinal showings at least for most of the season, Berdych has yet to move into a title match this season. However, his track record of quarterfinal exits in 2011, suggest another addition to the list as he faces Federer, he might be facing yet another ousting.
Although the Czech records an impressive 21-6 mark for hard courts this season. He needs to bring more than his A-game to the courts if he wishes to best the sixteen time Grand Slam champion and a former world number one. Trailing 3-9 in the lifetime head-to-head score, Berdych has only been able to win twice on the surface while the converse holds true with four wins. Though the Czech may take comfort in the fact that he has bested the Swiss, he will need more than psychological reaffirmation when he takes on Federer today.
Prediction: Despite his age, Federer is still an unstoppable force to many on the tour. Berdych being one of them, the Swiss is expected to move into the last four in easy straight sets.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and have nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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