By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 20, 2015
Roger Federer reeled off seven consecutive games to close a commanding 6-4, 6-0 conquest of Tomas Berdych and advance to the Indian Wells semifinals for the ninth time.
Photo credit: @BNPParibasOpen
Eyes riveted on the ball, Roger Federer bounced inside the baseline and bolted a backhand return down the line. The shot was struck so cleanly, Tomas Berdych was reduced to a plaintive grunt while lunging in vain at the blurring ball.
A clinical Federer turned one of tennis' biggest hitters into a defensive punch line for his shot-making brilliance. Federer reeled off seven consecutive games dismissing Berdych, 6-4, 6-0, to storm into the Indian Wells semifinals for the ninth time.
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"I think I was really able to utilize the court much more, play more angles, play with variation, spin and slice," Federer said in his post-match press conference. "I did that very well. So it was a great match to back it up after the good match against [Jack] Sock I had the other day."
This was a majestic mauling as a relentless Federer forced Berdych to counter off his back foot for much of the match. Federer more than doubled Berdych in winners (21 to 9), won 88 percent of his first-serve points and closed net oppressively and impressively, winning 13 of 14 trips to net.
It was such a comprehensive conquest, Berdych didn't deliver his best response until the post-match press conference.
Asked if Federer was doing something specifically that bothered him, Berdych replied: "Well, if he was doing something? No, he was doing pretty much everything perfect.
"Today he was doing pretty much everything on the top level, and there was not much that I can—well, no, no chance."
The ninth-seeded Czech was bidding to become the first man to win 20 ATP matches this season, while Federer was aiming to continue his quest for a fifth BNP Paribas Open title.
The combination of Berdych's poor serving — he served just 45 percent, won only 38 percent of his second-serve points and dropped serve in four of his final five service games — Federer's smooth moving and quick-strike attack all conspired to create the most lopsided result between the pair since Federer annihilated Berdych, 6-2, 6-1, on the red clay of Hamburg nearly a decade ago.
Berdych had won two of his last three hard-court matches against the Swiss in part because of his ability to stretch Federer to the forehand side then hit hard to the Swiss' backhand.
It's a pattern he tried employing in the early stages, but Federer was simply too sharp and a skittish Berdych never really found his comfort level on court.
Serving at 2-2, Berdych degenerated from erratic to downright sloppy, blowing a 40-15 lead in a hideous triple double fault game. Still, the six-foot-five Czech blocked forehand stab volley winner, withstanding the mini-crisis to hang on for 3-2. The good news for Berdych was he hadn't come close to playing his best tennis, but was still in front. The bad news for the big-hitting Czech was a razor-sharp Federer was about to rip him to shreds.
That was Berdych's last lead of the day as Federer, flying around the court as if anticipating the direction of Berdych's shots before they landed, won 10 of the next 11 games.
The second-seeded Swiss followed two love service games, holding at 15 for 3-3.
At that point, Berdych had held in 33 of his prior 35 service games, but a flat forehand into the net followed by a defensive forehand he pushed long put Berdych into a triple break point hole. Seeing his opponent reeling, Federer pounced. Zapping an inside-out forehand, Federer coaxed a backhand error, securing the break for 4-3 and punctuating it with a firm "come on!"
Serving for the set at 5-4, Federer faltered for the first time facing a 0-03 hole. Racing forward, he wristed a fine forehand volley followed by a stinging serve down the middle to get even. Drilling a backhand down the line that surprised the big man, Federer closed the 40-minute first set.
Three of their last four meetings were won by the loser of the opening set. If Berdych knew that stat it didn't provide much solace.
"When you feel that he's in control right from the beginning, then of course you have to come up with your best game from the beginning of the match," Berdych said. "That's basically it."
Attacking behind a flashy forehand swing volley, Federer gained break points in the first game of the second set. Carving out a sharp-angled backhand, he dragged Berdych forward and broke for 1-0 when the Czech scattered a high backhand volley wide.
Two games later, Berdych littered his fifth double fault to donate a third break in his last four service games. Berdych trudged to his court-side seat as Federer seized a 3-0 stronghold.
Spraying inside out forehand wide, Berdych faced a second break point seven minutes into the game. Reading the direction of his opponent's shot before it landed, Federer glided to his right and ripped a forehand winner down the line breaking again for 5-0.
"I think I really played well off the baseline," Federer said. "I had control from the baseline, and then I guess what he would have needed today is really high first-serve percentage and a lot of aces when he had to to keep the pressure on me that way. Because I was serving well and moving well, so maybe there is not going to be that many chances for him on the return as it is. But at least he could have stayed with me longer, and as the match goes on maybe he would have also found his groove better."
Completing a stylish thrashing of an overmatched opponent, Federer wrapped up a commanding 68-minute victory. He awaits the winner of today's second quarterfinal between third-seeded nemesis Rafael Nadal and massive-serving Milos Raonic.