Federer and Nadal to Face off in the Semis

MELBOURNE, Australia — It was killing Roger Federer the last time he played Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open. Now after a day and night when both champions were in classic form, Federer will get his rematch. This meeting, their 27th, will come in the semifinals instead of the final. Novak Djokovic is now the game’s No. 1 player with Nadal ranked second and Federer third. But Nadal-Federer remains one of the best rivalries in sports even if Nadal has created a significant gap by winning 17 of their previous matches, including the last four at Grand Slam events.After health scares in the buildup to the first major tournament this year — the back for Federer, a shoulder and a knee for Nadal — both radiated vitality at Rod Laver Arena.Laver, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his winning all four Grand Slam events in 1962, picked a fine if torrid day to have a front-row seat. Federer was the Federer of the mind’s eye in his 1,000th tour-level match, free-flowing and imperious as he carved up the serious threat posed by Juan Martín del Potro to win their quarterfinal, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.Nadal, true to his image, had to dig deeper. Sweat coated his legs and clung to his dark hair as he conjured spectacular running forehands, cast sideways glances in the direction of his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, and eventually whipped and willed his way past Tomas Berdych, who is developing a harder edge at 26.Federer required 1 hour 59 minutes to win his match against del Potro. Nadal and Berdych required 2:26 just to split sets, with Berdych winning the first tiebreaker and Nadal wresting the second after Berdych failed to make a forehand volley that might have changed his luck after nine straight losses to the Spaniard.On they scrapped in the match of the tournament so far. In the end, Nadal’s increased ability to attack the seventh-seeded Berdych’s serve and to turn defense into offense in a heartbeat made the difference as he won, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3, in 4:16.“The level is very positive, much, much better than the end of the season,” Nadal said. “The character on the court, the way to win the points. Everything was much more positive. So I’m very happy.”Federer was not happy the last time he faced Nadal here. He lost the 2009 final in five sets, muttering, “God, it’s killing me,” in the award ceremony and breaking down in tears with Nadal putting an arm around him.“I’d like to get a chance to play him again here,” Federer said, speaking before Nadal’s latest Melbourne marathon was done. 

  

Please note that this article comes from the NY times

Draw as of Now

The order of play proceeds as the following.


Roger Federer SUI (3) vs Juan Martin Del Potro ARG (11)

Tomas Berdych CZE (7) vs Rafael Nadal ESP (2)

Novak Djokovic SRB (1) vs David Ferrer ESP (5)

Andy Murray GBR (4) vs Kei Nishikori JPN (24)

Nishikori upsets Tsonga

Kei Nishikori came from a set down to become the first Japanese man to advance to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 80 years on Monday when he upset sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6 6-2 6-1 3-6 6-3. Tsonga was ultimately plagued by errros, which Nishikori took full advantage of matching Tsonga stroke for stroke and waited until the Frenchman got impatient and made an unforced error. Despite hints of Tsonga's brilliant play, it wasn't enough to beat the Japanese wonderkid and is an early exit for the man who people had much faith in to disrupt the world order of the Top 4 men in tennis. The 24th-seeded Nishikori, who has now matched the feats of Ryosuki Nunoi and Jiro Satoh when they made the last eight in Australia in 1932, will meet fourth-seeded Briton Andy Murray in the quarter-finals.

Novak Djokovic tested by Hewitt

Djokovic defeated the two-time grand slam champion, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in almost three hours to set up a quarter-final with Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer on Wednesday.
The Serbian world number one was in command for the opening two sets before the fiercely competitive Australian veteran hit back, taking the match into a fourth set.But top seed Djokovic gradually regained control to serve out with two aces in his final game to clinch victory.
The Serb began brilliantly and broke Hewitt in his first five service games and won 18 of the opening 24 points.However, feisty Hewitt refused to give in and he began to make Djokovic play more shots, as he fought his way back to the cheers of the capacity home crowd at Rod Laver Arena."I have to give credit to Lleyton who never gives up, he's a great competitor and obviously made me play an extra shot and I made a couple of unforced errors," Djokovic said."He's very well known for that, in the last 10-15 years he's been playing consistently well on the men's tour and he's a great competitor and I have a lot of respect for him and wish him luck.""For two sets and 3-0 I was playing really well and then suddenly I stopped moving, and I give a lot of credit for that to Lleyton."

Del Potro sets up a mouth-watering match against Federer

Del Potro defeated Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. Juan Martin decimated his opponent in his fourth round match to book himself a showdown with none other than Roger Federer. Del Potro has always remained a huge threat to upset the Big Four's monopoly on tennis and appeared to do so in 2009, after he beat both Nadal and Roger Federer in a slam at the same time. However he was riddled with injuries in 2010 and barely played any tennis. But luckily for him, he recovered decently in 2011 and managed to claw his way back up to 11th. Not dropping a set, Del Potro goes into the match against Roger Federer as an underdog on paper but an equal in reality. He looks to be in the form that helped win him the US Open in 2009 and could stage a major upset against Roger Federer and ruin Federer's quarterfinal streak at Grand Slams. Expect a very very tight match between these two, despite the fact that in their last meeting, Federer won in straight sets.

Federer and Nadal into the Quarterfinals

Federer defeated Tomic 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, and Nadal defeated Lopez 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. It appears as though a semifinal showdown is bound to occur as Nadal and Federer both cut their opponents down to size in their fourth round to matches to qualify for the quarterfinals. The score in Nadal's match fails to capitalize on how close it actually was. Lopez was looking much improved in his match against Nadal, driving his 1-handed backhand instead of slicing it. But it was his serve that would be his undoing. Without his big serve going in enough, Nadal was able to take control and win the first set. In the second set, Nadal raced to a 2-0 lead but Lopez rallied and got it to 3-3. Sadly Lopez failed to hold it level and lost 6-4. In the last set, Nadal was imperious with Lopez and wrapped up the match soundly. In Federer's match, the first set was a tight affair, staying on serve until the 9th game, where Federer broke Tomic to race to a 5-4 lead and take the 1st set. From there on out, the Swiss Maestro picked apart Tomic's game of dinking and improvisation and devastated him in every aspect of the game. A prime example comes from when Tomic and Federer struggled in a 28 shot rally. Federer ended up winning it and all Tomic could do was shrug to his box. Now Federer will face Del Potro, who is looking in imperious form, while Nadal will face Berdych. Expect both of these matches to be blockbusters. 

Showman Gael Monfils loses tough 5 setter

Kukushin d. Monfils 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4. The number 92 defeated the Frenchman, Gael Monfils, in a 5 set encounter. Monfils, who suffered from an extremely injured back, could barely hit the ball hard at all and could only pop the ball back in play every shot. However after going up 2 sets, the 92th ranked Kukushin couldn't capitalize and Monfils was able to take the 3rd and 4th sets, playing off of only the adrenaline the crowd was giving him. However in the 5th set, Kukushin got the crucial break and won. Monfils admitted he was “lucky” to force the fifth set, and was playing purely on adrenaline brought on by the crowd.“This one was tough because I had a sore back. But it was really cool. For sure the crowd helped me,” he said.“That's why I chose to keep going, because I could easily have given up. But it was a nice atmosphere. I just tried to have luck in the match and fight, so it was cool.”

Nishikori charges into the 4th round

Nishikori defeats Julien Benneteau
4-6 7-6 7-6 6-3. In a very hard fought match, Nishikori once again showed us promise that he will become a great player soon, by fighting a fiercely contested match. When Nishikori went up the flight of stairs for his interviews, he was visibly tired, dragging himself up after a 3 and a half hour match. In the first and second sets, Nishikori was up a break but lost the lead in the first set and lost the set. In the second set he barely won the set, despite losing his lead. But the third set is where the drama arose. Nishikori was down 2-5 in the third set. But proving his mettle, he clawed his way back into the set and managed to win the tiebreak in elegant fashion. Julien, looking clearly dismayed to have lost his prospect at a 2-1 set lead, lost the 4th set in less than fighting manner.

Gasquet DEMOLISHES Tipsarevic

Gasquet upsets Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. In a humiliating 97 minute display of sheer destruction, Tipsarevic (9) was defeated by the 17th seed, Richard Gasquet. Throughout the entire match Tipsarevic struggled to find his range on his shots, and never got into his groove, making uncharacteristic unforced errors. Though he started out decently, Tipsarevic was broken in the 6th game of the 1st set, which allowed Gasquet to eventually take the 1st. With the momentum generated, Gasquet was able to take the 2nd and 3rd in dominating fashion. Tipsarevic made 33 unforced errors while Gasquet played some amazing tennis. The 17^th seed banged in six aces and secured 29 out of 41 first serve points to get the better of the world number nine. His forehand worked perfectly for him and he was very aggressive in his approach in the contest. Gasquet launched frequent forays to the net and converted 17 out of 20 net points to assert his authority in the competition.

Ferrer recovers a early deficit to make the 4th Round

David Ferrer defeats Chela 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. After a rocky start to the Australian Open, David Ferrer found his range and quickly dismantled Chela after going down 1-4 in the 1st set. Chela started off extremely strong and the Spanish number 2 had no response. However, Ferrer's fabled indomitable spirit came alive and managed to recover the deficit with some amazing tennis and win the 1st set. Devastated, Chela never recovered and Ferrer easily won the match. However is this match simply an aberration or is it a sign that Ferrer will be a threat to the Australian Open? Ferrer was a semifinalist last year but has faced lots of early scares. At 29, he is known to be one of the hardest working players, constantly trying to keep up his physique. But perhaps his age will start catching with him, or maybe he will fend off the impending doom of his age and make a surprise run here. I predict he won't make the semifinals, but anything can happen.

Hewitt into the 4th Round

Hewitt defeats Raonic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. In a huge upset that nobody expected, Lleyton Hewitt defeated the big serving Canadian wit his signature style of wearing down his opponent shot by shot. Facing break points in the very game of the match, Hewitt composed himself but it was not enough to hold of Raonic, who played jaw-dropping tennis. He served the fastest serves in the entire tournament, typically clocking over 140 mph, or 226 km/h. But Hewitt began to work himself into the match, point by point, causing the Canadian to start asking questions and slowly doubting himself. Hewitt took the 2nd set with ease. However the Canadian used his big serve in the 3rd set to force a tiebreak. It appeared as though the Canadian was nervous as he served in the tiebreak, which allowed Hewitt to take it. The 4th set showed that Raonic still has things to learn, as his shots just stopped working for him, allowing Hewitt to take the match. Hewitt's dream run may come to a halt however, as he faces Djokovic in the next round.

Del Potro Demolishes Lu

Del Potro defeats 6-2, 6-3, 6-0. The scoreline says it all. Del Potro WRECKED Lu. I mean literally WRECKED. If you saw this match live, you know what I mean. Lu never had a chance of getting anywhere in this match against Delpo. This spectacular win puts him in the 4th round of the Australian Open. With form like this, Del Potro remains a huge threat on the men's side of disrupting the Top 4's prolonged dominance in the sport and Del Potro may even break into that Top 4 this year if he can continue such play up consistently throughout the year. Also on the Top 4's tail is Tsonga, who easily dismantled his opponent yesterday without playing near his best. This is going to be one interesting Australian Open indeed. Stay tuned.

Isner loses 5-set marathon against Lopez

Lopez defeats Isner 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1. In a marathon match, John Isner lost to the 18th seed Lopez in another five set encounter. Isner had recently defeated Nalbandian in another 5 set encounter but it appears as though the American's five set luck wore off. With Isner's defeat,  this marks the first time ever that an American has not made the 4th round of the Australian Open. Isner had this to say, "I knew going in today I was the last one left, and I wanted to keep on going, but just didn't happen," Isner said. "It's very ugly, to be honest, to have no one in the round of 16. We've got to try to rectify that next time the big tournaments roll around." However Isner's loss was definitely affected by his previous 5-set encounter, which left him fatigued and injured. Even Lopez could tell, Referring to Isner and his battle with Nalbandian, Lopez said, "The day after you feel tired, it's tough to recover for the next [match]." Apparently after his match with Nalbandian, his coach claims that Isner had a blister on his toe that caused him to bleed incessantly through his sock and it never recovered. "The whole match I wasn't really that sharp, and I wasn't, I don't know, I just didn't really have it out there today," said Isner. Isner will have to find a way to shorten up his matches if he wants to break the top 10, as these marathon matches are what are exhausting him early on in tournaments, leading to depleted performances later on. 

Federer and Nadal ease into the 4th Round

Federer defeats Karlovic 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 and Nadal defeats Lacko 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal blazed into their fourth round with decisive victories over their opponents. Starting with Roger Federer, his three-set victory was harder than his counterpart's. Karlovic's huge serve allowed him to push it to the tiebreak in the first set. However, Roger barely won it with some signature Swiss precision and took the tiebreak 8-6. The second set was no less competitive but Roger still managed to get the break later on and win the 2nd set 7-5. The last set showed a slight drop in the big server's performance, allowing Federer to wrap up the match 6-3 in elegance. Moving on to Nadal, Nadal showed renewed ambition and athleticism in his match where he DESTROYED the little known Lacko. The first set was absolutely one-sided as Nadal blistered through it with 2 breaks of serve. The 2nd set showed some resistance from Lacko, who slightly upped his game but still fell victim to the Spaniard's imperious and vicious top-spin forehand. The last set was almost identical to the first, showing even more dominance from the Spaniard. It appears as though a semifinal clash will be inevitable. The question remains though, who will win? I've predicted Federer in 4 but its starting to look like it might be a 5 set marathon match. 

Bernard Tomic in the 4th Round!

Bernard Tomic defeats Dolgopolov 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3. This 19-year old has just set up a 4th round encounter with the one and only Roger Federer. The match between Dolgopolov was a thriller. Despite losing the first set, Tomic kept his cool and barely managed to take the 2nd and 3rd sets through tiebreaks. Despite Dolgopolov receiving back treatment, he managed to make a huge comeback in the 4th set, and Tomic could not respond to his sheer brilliance and determination. But he kept his cool and served out the 5th set, winning his 2nd match point. Bernard Tomic is now an up and coming 19 year old going into the 4th round, sound familiar? In 2001, it was Roger Federer who had defeated Pete Sampras in a very close encounter and then proceeded to lose in the 4th round against Tim Henmen. Tomic has shown that he has had the mettle to overcome big obstacles, but has had needed 4 or 5 sets to defeat his opponents, while Roger has easily gone through his matches with either a bye or a 3 set victory. My prediction, Federer in 4 sets. Tomic has said that Federer is his idol, and has only played him once before at the Davis cup, losing to him in 4 sets.

Tipsarevic Wins A Close 4-setter

Janko Tipsarevic defeats James Duckworth 3-6, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4. The Australian native James Duckworth created a buzz in the tennis world when he took the first set against the ninth seed, Janko Tipsarevic. Largely unknown, Duckworth played very aggressively the first set and Tipsarevic was far from his best. In the second set, Duckworth's concentration lapsed, and Tipsarevic pounced, winning with a double break. The 3rd set was a close affair and had to go to the tiebreak where some spectacular tennis was played. However Tipsarevic got the mini-break and won 7 points to 5. The last set was also close but Tipsarevic was the one who made it to the finish line. A confidence boosting win to the Serbian Number 2, who was the sixth man in 2011 to beat Djokovic, an elite club of players.

Kei Nishikori Survives Upset Attempt

Kei Nishikori defeated Matthew Ebden 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. Overcoming a 2-set deficit, Nishikori showed the world that he is an up and coming star as well, showing the mettle and will to put aside the huge lead his opponent had and turned the tables in his favor. Nishikori played tentatively and cautious in the first two sets, but began to play much more aggressive in the latter three, which is what ended up saving him. “I think it was a great win for me, in the third set I tried to make more balls and stay solid,” he said. Bernard Tomic, Milos Raonic, and He are all the newcomers who show promise that have not been eliminated. I assure you he will be a top-10 player, maybe even before the end of this year. 

David Ferrer outlasts Ryan Sweeting in a tumultous 5-set match

Ferrer defeats Sweeting 6-7 (4/7) 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-3. David Ferrer outlasted up and coming Ryan Sweeting, who was originally in the Top 20 before injuries plagued him in 2011. The American played some extraordinary shots as he raced to a 2-1 set lead over the 2011 semi-finalist and 5th seed. But Ferrer, known for his indomitable spirit, fought back and took the match on a hot Australian day. "It was a very tough match, playing five sets in three hours," Ferrer said. Will this signal a less than stellar run for the Number 2 Spaniard, or it will it boost Ferrer's confidence and help him make a deep run here? My prediction, Ferrer loses in the quarterfinals against Djokovic in three sets.

Djokovic Blasts Past Giraldo

Novak Djokovic destroys Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. In a match with little expectations for the underdog, Santiago Giraldo was pummeled by the world number 1 in timely fashion, barely breaking a sweat. Djokovic continued to show why he is a threat to be reckoned with at this tournament to his peers. Not even blinking once, Djokovic cruised through the entire match unopposed by his opponent. However despite this assuring victory, Djokovic still says "I don't think anybody is invincible," he said. "It's a matter of the confidence that you have, self-belief on the court, qualities as a player, being out there physically, mentally fit, being able to perform your best on a day-to-day basis. The humble words from the Serbian signify how close the other Top 4 players are coming to him with the game to beat him. Murray's improved mentality, Nadal's new racket, and Federer simply better rested, are all reasons why Djokovic will have a tough time defending his title.

Andy Roddick withdraws midmatch against Hewitt

Roddick contemplating what to do

 Roddick Retires after trailing Hewitt 3-6. 6-3, 6-4.A match that seemed almost destined for greatness fell short of expectations. The first set swung to Roddick but during the 2nd set, Roddick fell and his movement never really looked the same. The second set went to Hewitt and despite Roddick's injury, he almost managed to break back at 5-4 when Hewitt was serving for the set. However, the American veteran fell short of expectations in the match by deciding to retire before the fourth set after consulting tournament doctors. Hewitt has recently looked in good form and looks to be rediscovering form that brought him great glory in the early 2000's. Both players were looking for a resurgence in this tournament, both being riddled with injuries in 2011. Hewitt commented after the match that ""Obviously he stretched something. I wasn't sure if it was an ankle problem (but I) think it is something higher in his leg. It is hard to concentrate in those circumstances." However Hewitt was merciless as he peppered balls to and from Roddick in order to aggravate the injury more. "I don't want to sound mean but you obviously try to run him around as much as you can," Hewitt said. The resurgent Aussie will now face Milos Raonic in the third round, a match to watch. Raonic, like Roddick, has a huge serve and capitalizes most of his points off of it. However Raonic appeared to get tense in the big moments against Petzschner, choking when a break up and serving for the match. However the German too didn't appear to have the mettle to hold his serve and Raonic broke again, and then served out the match. My  opinion is that if Raonic will have trouble closing out important points against Lleyton Hewitt, who is a veteran of the sport. However, Raonic has shown much promise and could show the world a new champion. However I still believe that with the crowd on his side, Hewitt will triumph in 5 sets. Sadly, it appears that Roddick will have injuries (both mental and physical) to face, as he slowly falls in to obscurity.