Australian Open: Roger Federer fends off seven match balls - and is in the semi-finals!
A battered Roger Federer has reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open 2020 after another great feat. In a five-set thriller and after defending seven match balls, he defeated Tennys Sandgren, the world's number 100. (Here the match to read in the ticker!)
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 28, 2020, 10:25 am
The conditions actually spoke for Roger Federer: It was warm again in Melbourne - which Eurosport expert Mats Wilander, after the relaxed first set for the maestro, led to the assessment that Federer could not lose this match.
It almost turned out differently: Federer had to stretch enormously to beat the American Tennys Sandgren 6: 3, 2: 6, 2: 6, 7: 6 (8) and 6: 3. He is now in the semi-finals - and expects the winner of the game between Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic.
Already at the beginning of round two, the hand turned, Federer was quickly behind with 0: 3 and then accepted another break. At the beginning of the third sentence, he received a warning about an "Audible Obscenity". Federer then called the physio and left the place. Initially, this did little to help, run three also gave Federer two breaks.
7 match balls fought off! Federer again as Houdini
In the fourth round, Federer looked fitter again, served better, but had to fight a lot: at 4: 5 and his own serve, he fended off three match balls; a break chance for his part at 5: 5 he carelessly left with a return on a second serve of the American.
Federer then destroyed another three match balls (this time in a row) at 3: 6 in the tie-break and another at 6: 7. He finally managed the decisive mini break at 8: 8 and the sentence equalization, which he celebrated with his index finger raised.
However, Sandgren also showed morality and did not slack off. In the decision set, Federer was allowed to submit and came to the first break chance at 1-1, but he left it - he had thus far only used 1 out of 12 break chances in the entire match ... In the 3-2, Federer finally came out number 13, used she with an energetic forehand longline and shortly afterwards celebrated one of his greatest comeback victories.
Federer: "Sometimes you have to be lucky"
"Another interesting match," Jim Courier began the on-court interview, "how in the world did you win that?" Federer: "Sometimes you have to be lucky. I didn't really deserve that today, but I'm still here ... and I'm very happy."
He had played a lot of tennis in his life, today he had problems in the groin area. "I actually hate taking injury breaks and showing that weakness," said Federer. He felt better again in the course of the match - and the pressure was then also gone.
For Federer, it was already the second five-set match at the Australian Open 2020 after the third round match against John Millman . Federer had turned the Australian set a 4-8 deficit to victory in the fifth set match-break.
Federer said of a possible encounter with Novak Djokovic in the semifinals: "I hope I will feel better than today ..."
Here is the entire match to read in the ticker!
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