federer is in stellar form. söderling is angry and hungry. i hope söderling gets off to a good start, then it can be a great match of tennis!

eh, I will get to watch the streaming of this one. :) I expect Roger to have fun... :) Go Roger! Go FED! C'MON!

"Poised for a sweep"? Sure, he's looking strong (as he was in Shanghai) but the hard stuff hasn't started yet - SF v nole? ... F v rafa/muzz? ... And if it's muzz, don't forget, he's far too inconsistent to play the same way twice in one week:)

Spoken like a true non-FEDfan alex. lol Roger is full of surprises. Sometimes he even wins the BIG ones! Don't you go worry none. Are you a muzz fan perhaps. LOL

sorry alex, that sounded like a low blow, may the best man, and may we have GREAT tennis... ;)

Federer really hasn't been pushed yet, however, I don't espect Sod to win this match, so Fed will get a lean sweep.

sorry left "WIN"! :)

So Roger moves to the semis with his first set win, even if he loses the match.

cool :)

but it would be BEST if he wins

magnus norman looks so bored. it's their last match together and he's probably glad to be out...

IMPRESSIVE!!! :) the FED moves on... :)

it's ok sky, i haven't lost my sense of humour, if i give it i've gotta take it. gee, how did you guess i was a muzz fan :)

congrats to fed and fans by the way, i see he's just won in 2, as expected.

federer has a remarqueable talent of stepping up a gear when he gets the slightest chance in the opponent's serve...he's so patient... then a few routine holds and the set is over... it looks almost effortless...

croc, are Sod and Magnus splitting up?

aye that's what everyone says here... all good things come to an end, hopefully before they turn bad...

no way Sod and Magnum are splitting

also, is Soderling mathematically eliminated?

Another master class, although this was more of a demolition job.

Way to go Robin before you can keep up with the Big Boys full time.

probably not if ferrer beats murray easily, but not too easily...

he certainly does croc, I feel that is for sure why he has so many admirers, making plays look effortless is very cool, I don't know anyone else who does that

Ricky, according to the ATP website:

Regardless of score:
Federer defeats Soderling + Murray defeats Ferrer - then Federer Wins Group and Murray Qualifies 2nd.

If
Federer defeats Soderling in 2 sets + Ferrer defeats Murray in 2 sets - then Federer qualifies as Group Winner; Ferrer, Murray, Soderling tied with a 1-2 record and 2-4 in Sets. Final Spot determined by % of Games Won.

Federer defeats Soderling in 2 sets + Ferrer defeats Murray in 3 sets - then Federer qualifies as Group Winner and Murray qualifies 2nd.

so basically, muzz goes out tonight knowing he can lose 6-4, 6-3 and still qualify for the SFs. Crazy!

sky, as a sporting event, looking effortless doesn't do it for me.

nope. i doublechecked. söderling is mathematically out:

söderling is -6 in games
ferrer is -11
murray is 0

if murray wins a set against ferrer, murray is through.
if ferrer beats murray in straights and >= 6 games, ferrer goes through.
if ferrer beats murray in straights and < 6 games murray goes through.

Fed's reactions after each win in this RR format is very sub-dued... Not even a small fist pump...no traditional smile... any particular reasons....

It could be a strange observation.... not sure whether others felt like mine...

the match wasn't very close and he was already through... it was just a day in office...

I understand that completely nadline, that is why people like you are not FEDfans, and more like Rafa fans. With Rafa it never looks easy. Rafa is the true image of the working class man, Roger is something else.

sky, the thing is when Roger comes up against Rafa he doesn't look effortless, he has to work hard, scampering all over the place. There is a marked difference of how Roger plays Rafa and how he plays other players.

Roger's game looked effortless when he is up against anybody, but he looked like a scared kid ready to scamper away when he sees Rafa at the other side of the net. :-)

Sky,
there is some truth in what you wrote but I find that the experts, media, the fans, so many people have been articulating the differences between Federer and Nadal that they have been greatly exagerated... they are not night and day. For example, Federer works pretty hard too but it does not show due to his movement.

Do you all get the feeling we might have a fedal final finally?

I agree that Fed has not been pushed at all this tournament. The one that ought to push and test him failed to turn up, making Fed's life easy and making his performances look good. The real test is in the semi and the final( if he gets there).

It's ironical that before all the matches started, many people were saying that Group B was the tougher group of the two, it turned out not the case. Group A is a lot more competitive, as anyone is capable of beating anyone within the group, that makes for more interesting match viewing.

I don't call Rafa's style workmanlike. I'll rather say that he looked more human in his efforts, and that's exactly why I love him. He let's us see his vulnerabilities and how he works to overcome them. He let's us see his efforts and makes us appreciate them.

Fed on the other hand, chooses to show his best front and not letting people see his efforts. He made people feel that his work is effortless but in fact he had already done all the hardyard. The two of them have different approaches but the desire is the same,ie to achieve greatness in the sport and to be considered as one of the all time greats!

chlorostoma

Absolutely! The FED works hard too, but as you say due to his movement, it shows less, or not at all. It is still early in the tournament "but" if it were a "fedal" final I would be really pumped! LOL I know you prefer Rafa, and although he is ultra good, AND #1 (with no question at the moment), I still feel it's time for Roger to "take" "one" from him. :) That would be ULTRA Cool! (for me, and other FEDfans naturally) :)

I do agree that Rafa made Fed worked so hard and made Fed looked human. For eg, AO 2009 final, we really can see Fed working hard, running all over the place, and perspiring all over. I think only Rafa can make Fed work so hard, Fed used to boss the other players around but he simply can't boss Rafa around the court.

I think in terms of speed around the court, Rafa and Monfils are the quickest, followed by Murray, and then Fed, Nole and Davy. Fed is lightfooted and he skips around the court, noticed the big step he leaps when he is chasing after the ball. Rafa on the other hand, sprints around the hard court like a short distance runner, clench his fists, bends his head and sprints as fast as he can. Both of them took little steps all the time to adjust their positions on the court.

The last person Fed ever wants to see at the other end of the court is Rafa, I bet he panics before going on court with the prospect of being beaten again by Rafa. In their last 7 meetings Rafa has won 6 - daunting. No wonder Roger looks like a rabbit caught in headlights when he is playing Rafa, far from looking 'effortless'.

Firstly, apart from the obvious drama of their rivalry, the reason Rafa-Roger matches make for compulsive viewing is the way they bring the best out in each other - reminiscent of McEnroe and Borg in their heyday.

Secondly, it is the one of the few times we get to see the full panoply of Roger's game and can appreciate what took him, and kept him, at the top for so long. The reason his game is so often described as graceful, effortless etc. etc. is because it is just that. He doesn't need to over exert himself against the majority of players. So watching him routinely swatting them out of his path on his way to another title can get boring unless you are an avid fan of his!

He has undoubtedly picked up his game in recent months and there is a new-found air of confidence about him - not to mention determination. Unfortunately for him it looks as if an equally determined Rafa will be waiting for him.

Roll on a Fedal final.

ed: hope Andy puts a spoke in that wheel ;)

deuce: well he's done it in the past - but I'm not holding my breath this time round. On the other hand, the other Andy could rock up tomorrow to surprise and please us all!

A Rafandy final would be even better except you and I might fall out :D

yes nadline. nadal is federer's nemesis.