By Chris Oddo | Tuesday January 24, 2017
Roger Federer eased past Mischa Zverev to book a semifinal with compatriot Stan Wawrinka at the Australian Open.
Photo Source: Michael Dodge/Getty
Roger Federer kept his title hopes alive at the Australian Open by marching past giant killer Mischa Zverev, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2. The 35-year-old, a four-time Australian Open champion, moved into his record 13th semifinal at Melbourne and set up a clash of the Swiss titans with Stan Wawrinka in the next round.
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What were Federer’s expectations coming in to this event?
“Not to play Stan in the semis,” he joked on court while being interviewed by Jim Courier. “I thought I was going to maybe win a few rounds, depending on the draw.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Wawrinka moved past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-3.
“He’s a clutch player now,” said Federer. “I think I always have to stay aggressive. The more I give him, the better he is.”
Federer, who had defeated Zverev 6-0, 6-0 in their last encounter in 2013, needed just 19 minutes to claim the first set. But Zverev made the match more competitive once he got his first game under his belt in the sixth game of the opener.
With the pair exhanging rapid-fire volleys and moving quickly through points, Zverev would hold three consecutive times then move ahead by a break after a brief Federer lapse in the fourth game of the second set.
But Federer struck back immediately and broke again for 6-5 in the second set before cracking a backhand down-the-line winner to close the set in the next game, 7-5.
In the third set Zverev kept up the pressure but Federer proved to be too hot to handle. The 17-time major champion reeled off the final five games, breaking for 3-2 and 5-2, each time sealing the game with backhand down-the-line winners.
Federer made a trio of errors that gave Zverev a break point in the final game but promptly served an ace to save it before winning the final two points to clinch his victory in 92 minutes.
Federer finished the night with 65 winners against just 13 unforced errors. Zverev finished with 30 winners and 13 unforced.
The No.17 seed owns an 18-3 lifetime record against Wawrinka. Wawrinka has never defeated Federer on a hard court.