Federer PeRFect Again, Rips Gasquet, Will Meet Countryman Wawrinka In US Open Semifinals Friday
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Roger Federer continued to impress at the US Open crushing a hapless Richard Gasquet last night 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 to advance to his 10th semifinal at the event.
The 5-time champion hasn’t lost a set through five matches and going back to his Cincinnati final, he’s won 10 straight matches and all 25 sets he’s played since turning 34.
“A little bit to the extent where it’s nice to play this way,” Federer said of his run. “And maybe at my age to run through five opponents the way I have done here at the US Open, I don’t consider that normal, to be quite honest, even though I expect it in some ways for myself to come out and play well.
“I’ve played so well over the last one-and-a-half years. I don’t feel like I’m as old as I am. I still feel young. So it’s nice to get rewarded with the hard work and that actually I’m able to play sort of fun tennis, I maybe call it for myself.
“Aggressive, pick it up, you know, like half volley it, move in, serve and volley, cut the points short, and if I want to, extend the rallies. But it feels like on my terms. Then if you win this way, it’s a great feeling.”
Federer will meet friend and countryman Stan Wawrinka in a rematch of their French Open quarterfinal won by Stan.
As Federer breezed, so too did Wawrinka who played his best match of the event hammering Grand Slam quarterfinal debutant Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4, 6-0, ending a 4-match losing skid to the South African.
“It was the best match of the tournament for me,” said Wawrinka. “I was really happy with the way I played. I was trying to be really aggressive on the return.”
Anderson who had just beaten Andy Murray on Monday, won a total of five points in the third set.
“It obviously wasn’t meant to be today,” said Anderson. “Stan didn’t make it easy. He was taking time away from me. He was swinging out, and I was just a step slow. Wasn’t going to bode well. I needed to be on top of my game today. [Stan] stuck to his guns and did what he needed to do.”
Wawrinka reaches his second US Open semifinal and his third final four of this Grand Slam season.
Federer leads Wawrinka 16-3 though recently Stan has been right there winning last year in Monte Carlo and again at the French. But Federer is 11-0 on the hardcourts.
“Play my game, to play really aggressive,” Wawrinka said. “I’ll try to push him back. I will have to play really, really fast, to be the aggressive player, if I want to have a chance to beat him.
“I know I can finish by winning the tournament, but I’m really far from that right now,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy first tonight and the quarterfinal, because it was a great performance for me. Then tomorrow I will start to be ready for the semi-finals against Roger.”
Added Federer, “Looking forward to playing him, because he definitely is a big test and a big challenge for me. He beat me in straight at the French, so I hope I can do better this time.”
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