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Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  Roger Federer shines in New York, again
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Roger Federer shines in New York, again

The Swiss master makes it to the US Open quarter-finals for the 10th time in 11 years; he will play Gael Monfils for a spot in the semi-finals

Monfils will face Federer on Thursday. Photo: Jerry Lai/Usa Today SportsPremium
Monfils will face Federer on Thursday. Photo: Jerry Lai/Usa Today Sports

NEW DELHI :

Second seed Roger Federer powered to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win over Roberto Bautista on Tuesday, charging into the quarter-finals of the US Open for the 10th time in 11 years. The 26-year-old Spaniard was handed the unenviable task of trying to upset the 17-time Grand Slam winner on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, where the Swiss maestro has a dazzling 25-1 record under the Flushing Meadows floodlights.

It quickly became clear that there would be no power shortage on Tuesday as Federer raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, then coasted to an unflustered win in just under 2 hours.

“I felt like I had maybe some margin," said Federer. “He hasn’t got the biggest game but he’s consistent. He’s fast. He can adapt. So he’s got things that can make you feel uncomfortable."

Next up for Federer is a player he knows very well, 20th seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who won 7-5, 7-6 (6), 7-5 over seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

Federer and Monfils have clashed nine times, with the Swiss holding a 7-2 advantage, but the former world No.1 will be wary of the enigmatic Frenchman, who many rate as among the most gifted on the men’s tour.

While Federer holds a big edge in their head-to-head clashes, they have split their four most recent matches, with the 17-time Grand Slam winner coming out on top in their most recent meeting just last month in Cincinnati.

“He’s got easy top 10 potential," said Federer. “He’s a great mover. He’s got a wonderful serve, really, which nobody really talks about because of his athletic movement, which stands out so much. His issues have really been just his fitness and the setbacks he’s had because of injury. Then sometimes maybe not wanting to play sometimes because of reasons only he can explain."

Monfils follows his own rules

The Frenchman does things on a tennis court no one else has—or can. Just search for his name on YouTube and watch any of the many video clips showcasing his speed and agility; start with the parallel-to-the-ground, a-few-feet-in-the-air dive at this year’s French Open.

He sips soda during breaks in his matches, raising the can in a toast to his agent.

He is currently without any coach at all, in an era when some players have two.

What Monfils has never done, despite all his talent—and in some cases because he has appeared to value style over substance right there on court, in the middle of a point, preferring the spectacular to the sufficient—is reach a Grand Slam final. He took a step closer when he defeated Dimitrov, a man considered one of the sport’s up-and-comers.

There is a narrative building around Monfils’ success so far this year at Flushing Meadows, where he hasn’t dropped a set en route to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010. He has matured, is playing more carefully, more seriously.

Monfils, however, rejected that notion after Tuesday’s win.

“I’m the same. So I will say I’m a bit more lucky than I was maybe sometime in the past," he said. “I just play maybe solid today, but I’m still the same."

Monfils’ lone Grand Slam semi-final appearance came at the 2008 French Open, when he lost to Federer.

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Published: 03 Sep 2014, 08:36 PM IST
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