Roger Federerâs 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mikhail Youzhny was a lot about getting the W, and not worrying too much about how he got it.
Even though the two 29-year-olds hadnât played each other in over four years, the fact that Federer led their head-to-head 10-0, and had won the previous 16 sets they had played (dating back to 2003), had to make him feel confident going into the match.
There was something of an uninspired quality to the first set, with nothing but service holds and no games even going to deuce. When Federer got the mini-break on a Youzhny double fault to lead 2-1 in the tiebreak, and then pulled ahead 4-2, it was hard to imagine anything but an opening-set win for the Swiss. But Federer missed a forehand wide up 4-3, and Youzhny struck a backhand volley winner at 5-4 to give him the lead and momentum. On the next point, Federer seemed to want to out-macho Youzhny, belting some shots as if to show who was boss. He eventually over-hit a forehand, but still had a chance after Youzhnyâs backhand error on his first set point. But on the second, it was Federerâs turn to miss, weakly hitting a sliced backhand into the net.
That was the set, in 54 minutes, and Youzhny had to be hopefulâuntil Federer broke serve to 3-2 in the second set, with a forehand drop shot that hit the tape and fell over for him. Youzhnyâs balloon burst again at the beginning of the third set, when Federer rallied from love-40 in the opening game to hold, and then immediately broke, the ultimate point being a double fault. From then on, the outcome was rarely in doubt.
Federer might be concerned about a first set when he failed to impose his game, but afterward he was reenergized and asserted his superiority against an athletic, aggressive opponent who played with a nothing-to-lose attitude. Youzhnyâs battling until the end brought out the best in Federerâs wide repertoire of shots. He may have peaked on the final two points of the third set, muscling a huge, cross-court forehand that Youzhny couldnât handle, and then an inside-out, ridiculously-angled, unreturnable forehand that took the set.
Federerâs match statsâincluding going 32 of 42 at the net and only one service game lostâwere solid, and he even broke out the âtweenerâ in the third set, which won him a point thanks to Youzhnyâs bungled smash attempt. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Federerâs quarterfinal opponent, is forewarnedâthe six-time champ came around against Youzhny and is now playing the kind of tennis he needs, heading into the last three rounds.
âTom Tebbutt