Match report

Roger Federer © Tennistalk.com
French Open
Quarter final
6/4/08 1 2 3 4 Tot
ch  Roger Federer 2 6 6 6 3
cl  Fernando Gonzalez 6 2 3 4 1
Fernando Gonzalez © Tennistalk.com

  • Federer Joins Djokovic, Nadal in French Open Semifinals

    6/5/08 3:07 AM | Ricky Dimon
    Roger Federer bounces back from a dismal first set to blow past Fernando Gonzalez into the semifinals of the French Open. Gonzalez's fifth unseeded opponent in six matches will come in the form of surprising Frenchman Gael Monfils.

    Like he did in his second-round match against Albert Montanes, Roger Federer dropped the first set to Fernando Gonzalez on Wednesday afternoon, only to storm back and win the next three in dominant fashion. Federer defeated Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in just over two hours to book his place alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals.

    For a moment it looked two surprise semifinalists would soon wage battle in the top half of the draw opposite the Nadal-Djokovic showdown. Gonzalez powered his way through the first set in a mere 25 minutes, breaking Federer in the opening game of the match and converting all three of his break-point opportunities. The Chilean blasted 15 winners as opposed to five unforced errors during the first eight games of the match.

    Federer was not about spend the entire day getting pushed around, however, and he swiftly turned the tide. The No. 1 player in the world became far more aggressive in set two, approaching the net nine times and winning eight of those net points. Federer also committed just five unforced errors despite consistently going for winners, of which he produced 18. His first-serve percentage also increased drastically, a major reason why Gonzalez never had a single break point in the second frame of play.

    More of the same continued throughout the final two sets. Gonzalez maintained an outstanding level of play, keeping his winner tally way beyond his unforced error mark, but Federer was simply too good. The underdog's failure to capitalize on any of three break points in the third set made the difference there, although it was a set in which Federer really owned his opponent and started to take it right to him, winning 12 of 13 net points. Gonzalez kept in close in the fourth, but Federer served out the match at 5-4 with little trouble.

    To the delight of the French crowd, unseeded Gael Monfils upset David Ferrer in four sets on Wednesday and he will take on Federer in the semifinals. The two players have squared off three times in their careers, including two already this year, and Federer holds a 3-0 advantage. He beat Monfils on the hard courts of Miami in March and followed that up on the clay of Monte-Carlo with an exact same 6-3, 6-4 decision.

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Comments

Does anyone seriously believe Monfils will be able to rattle Roger?

ed251137 , 6/5/08 5:16 AM


Monfils ALREADY deserves praises. It isn't worth his ability to humiliate..

INNA , 6/5/08 9:42 AM



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