Classic Shanghai showdown
Print Edition
IT is the matchup most Shanghai fans desperately wanted.
World No. 3 Roger Federer of Switzerland will take on defending champion and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in a classic semifinal duel at the Shanghai Rolex Masters today.
Djokovic beat Spain’s David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 while Federer ousted Julien Benneteau of France 7-6 (4), 6-0 in a late quarterfinal tie yesterday.
Djokovic broke the fifth seeded Ferrer’s serve in the first game itself. The break was to prove costly even though Ferrer managed to save three set points before losing the 10th game, which lasted over 10 minutes.
Djokovic raised his arms in triumph, celebrating his first set win as though he had won the match.
The Serb broke the Spaniard twice in the second set and clinched the match on his second match point.
“That was probably the turning point of the match,” Djokovic said of his unusual reaction after winning the first set. “The last game (of the first set) was like half an hour long for me. Winning it was a big confidence booster.”
Carrying a 5-12 head-to-head record into the match, the 32-year-old Ferrer fought hard, running around the court for every deep return by his Serbian opponent, who is five years younger than him.
Their long rallies thrilled the crowd at the Qizhong Tennis Center, which saw an attendance of nearly 90 percent for the night matches.
Federer, who enjoys a huge following here, fought hard against Benneteau to take the first set 7-6 (4) but played a near flawless second for a 6-0 win. The Swiss blasted 34 winners as against 13 unforced errors. He won nearly all of the points on his first serve (34 of 37).
Today’s semifinal will be their 36th meeting, with Federer winning 18 to Djokovic’s 17.
“There is no clear favorite,” Djokovic said. “Every time we play against each other, it’s a thriller.”
The other semifinal will be between Spaniard Feliciano Lopez and Frenchman Gilles Simon.
Lopez beat Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. He lost his serve on a double fault while leading 5-3 in the third, but regained his composure to break straight back and prevail in just over two hours.
Simon ousted sixth seed Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0 for the other semis spot.
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