U.S. Open quarter-finals roundup: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic win
The second-seeded and 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and the third-seeded Novak Djokovic enter U.S. Open semi-finals at Flushing Meadows.
Dealing nicely with the swirling wind, Federer defeated fifth-seeded Robin Soderling by 6-4, 6-4, and 7-5 on Wednesday night to reach U.S. Open semi-finals.
Federer accumulated an 18-2 edge in aces against the tough Soderling and improved his career mark against the Swede to 13-1.
The only loss Federer faced against Soderling in his recent match was the French Open quarterfinals this year. There, Soderling broke Federer’s record of reaching the semi-finals in 23 consecutive major tournaments.
Federer then lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon too, giving others a chance to question whether his best days were behind him. But now he has proved to be in his old form by entering in the semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament.
The Swiss player will face third-seeded Novak Djokovic, a 7-6 (2), 6-1, 6-2 winner over 17-seeded Gael Monfils of France earlier Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Serb handled the whirling wind very tactfully. He won the point on 40 to 59 strips to the net and never gave Monfils a chance to play after a tight first set.
"It might be the case that [I've] developed," 2008 Australian Open champion Djokovic said. "Over time, you get experience playing in the different conditions, different situations."
He adjusted himself on Wednesday, and didn’t allow the wind to disturb his game as much as Monfils did. Although Monfils tried to do a lot in the match’s fourth game but unfortunately couldn’t make it.
It was Monfils, who jumped and brought his racket around his body and around his legs when a ball headed toward him, though just a regular swing would have been more than enough. His approach at a trick shot, a variety of one of Federer strikes for a winner against Djokovic in the 2009 semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, landed in the net.
"I thought, 'Please, don't make it,'" Djokovic said. "I have been experiencing that too many times.”
Clearly the guy whom some call “the joker” is still making other people laugh through his well-known sense of humour.
Monfils’ game was badly disturbed by the wind, which he felt was hard to handle. The wind kept changing directions and carried shots this way or that.
"I was completely lost," Monfils said. “I thought I can't serve. Can't really use my forehand. What am I running for?"
The only man who could defeat Novak Djokovic during the past three U.S. Opens was Roger Federer. Federer defeated him in the 2007 final and the 2008-2009 semi-finals.
But now the Djokovic has improved his game, which is quite mature now. He was down in the early first set against Monfils but didn’t give up and kept attacking, eventually broke back and then was solid in the tie-break.
After one lengthy and crucial point won by Djokovic, his father stood up to clap, showing off the black T-Shirt he was wearing with Djokovic’s likeness on the front.
When the young Djokovic was asked after the match regarding his father’s fashion statement, he said, "I would never wear the shirt. Me, personally - never. My father? I understand. OK. He's proud. But me, never," Djokovic said with a smile, adding: "I don't like myself that much."
The two professional players, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have worked a lot on their games. The upcoming match is going to be a fun game for all the spectators and tennis fans throughout the world.
It’s time for these seeds to prove themselves because both of them have faced tough times in their recent tournaments, numerous hurdles throughout their career, and have been answering to the tough questions regarding their game. Let’s see who will go through these semi-finals of U.S. Open 2010 this time.
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