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  • Sony Ericsson Fourth Round: Roger Federer vs. Jose Acasuso

    4/1/08 2:24 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - Roger Federer, not tested yet in two matches at the Sony Ericsson Open, has a great chance of ending his recent slump by winning the Miami title. Will in-form Jose Acasuso be able to provide resistance on Tuesday afternoon?

    Roger Federer and Jose Acasuso will meet head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they take the court on Tuesday afternoon, battling for a spot in the Masters Series Miami quarterfinals. Federer owns a 2-0 record over the Argentine, and both victories came on hard courts; first at 2003 U.S. Open, where Acasuso won the first set before losing the next two and retiring in the fourth, and then at the 2005 Masters Series Cincinnati, where Federer prevailed comfortably in straight sets.

    Recent results suggest that now is the time Acasuso must take advantage if he ever wants to get the best of the world No. 1. Federer has not won any of his three tournaments so far this season, and that stretch included losses to Novak Djokovic in Australia, Andy Murray in the first round of Dubai, and Mardy Fish in emphatic fashion at the Masters Series Indian Wells. It could, however, be too late for Acasuso in Miami, as Federer has looked strong through two matches. He took out Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday night in the second round, and then led Robin Soderling 6-4, 3-0 before the Swede called it quits.

    Acasuso has to be playing with at least as much confidence as Federer, if not more. As he usually does, Acasuso played great on the clay earlier this year (quarterfinals in Vina del Mar, runner-up in Buenos Aires, and semifinals of Acapulco). However, last week in Indian Wells it looked like his fine form would not carry over to hard courts, as the No. 45 player in the world lost to struggling Max Mirnyi 7-5, 7-5 in the first round. But Acasuso has found his groove on the hard stuff over the last six days. In Miami he has dispatched Santiago Ventura , No. 21 seed Lleyton Hewitt, and Dudi Sela all in straight sets.

    On hard courts Federer definitely has a significant advantage of Acasuso, who would much prefer to do battle on clay. Still, Acasuso should have a solid chance of at least making this a close, entertaining contest as long as he can serve big and continuously pound the Federer backhand with his heavy topspin groundstrokes. Overall, however, Federer will have too much variety and too much game for Acasuso.

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