By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 13, 2017
Going nose-to-nose at net with Roger Federer in the second set, Richard Gasquet tried standing his ground.
Federer played over his head.
More: Del Potro Survives Tumble, Troicki To Reach Semifinals
A flicked lob eluded the Frenchman helping the 36-year-old Swiss carve out the key break. Federer elevated at the right times in a 7-5, 6-4, victory that sent him into his seventh semifinal of the season at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
The 2014 tournament champion now stands one round removed from a potential Shanghai final showdown with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who defeated Grigor Dimitrov for the second time in a week, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3, powering to his 15th consecutive victory.
It was Nadal’s 670th victory tying him with Andre Agassi for sixth place on the Open Era career wins list.
The 31-year-old Spaniard will square off with Marin Cilic in a clash of the current and former US Open champion. Cilic, who will rise to a career-high No. 4 when the new ATP rankings are released, rolled Spanish left-hander Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-3, 6-4, in the day’s first quarterfinal.
The second-ranked Federer, who has defeated Nadal three times this season, is scheduled to play Juan Martin del Potro in tomorrow’s semifinals.
However, del Potro’s health is uncertain following a nasty fall to the court in the final set of his 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, victory over Viktor Troicki. Del Potro landed on his surgically-repaired left wrist and took a medical timeout for treatment. The 2009 US Open champion was heading to a local hospital for an MRI on his wrist.
Timely attacking sparked Federer’s forward march—he won 18 of 23 trips to net.
Every encounter must feel like a Friday the 13th day of doom for Gasquet, who suffered his eighth straight loss to the Swiss. Federer continued his career-long dominance of the man with the flashy one-handed backhand, raising his record to 16-2 against Gasquet. The Frenchman won their first encounter in a third-set tie break at the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters only to see Federer dispense a steady dose of misery in the 12 years since then.
B Part of Gasquet’s problems with Federer stems from the fact he can’t consistently hang with the 19-time Grand Slam champion in forehand crosscourt exchanges and that Federer takes the ball earlier and rushes Gasquet who requires more time to unleash his sweeping strokes.
However, Gasquet struck with aggression staying in step for much of the first set. The Frenchman stuck a forehand into the top of the tape to face break point at the six-minute mark.
He fended it off with a flourish, zapping a backhand winner down the line while moving backwards. A forehand off the baseline helped him hold for 2-1.
Streaking forward, Gasquet flicked an eye-popping backhand pass off a drop volley. That shot helped him earn a break point in the sixth game.
Amping up the sting of his shots and emotional intensity, Federer fired an ace then flashed a backhand winner down the line, punctuating both strikes with a hearty “come on!” leveling after six games.
Serving at 15-30 in the 10th game, Federer was vulnerable at net but read Gasquet’s churning crosscourt backhand pass and stuck a volley off the baseline. Gasquet challenged the call prompting Beijing fans to chant “in! in! in!” as Hawk-Eye replay confirmed the ball touched the baseline.
Befuddling Gasquet with a soaring lob to open the 11th game, Federer finished the game with a flurry of forehands earning the first break and a 6-5 lead.
Federer dispensed one-handed backhand magic of his own to snatch a one-set lead.
A disconsolate Gasquet, who took his cracks in the opening set, but ultimately had nothing to show for it, played a shoddy game to start the second set. Federer broke at love only to see Gasquet flash a backhand winner down the line then crank a forehand into the corner for triple break point. When Federer missed a forehand hit off the back foot, Gasquet broke back.
Credit Gasquet for his commitment to the cause. The man who grinded through three, three-set matches this week, fended off three break points clawing to a 3-2 second-set lead.
A crackling rally—one of the best exchanges of the match—concluded with Gasquet piercing the corner with a forehand winner to save a break point. Aided by a net-cord, Federer moved forward and floated a crafty lob volley scoring his third break for 4-3.
Federer more than doubled Gasquet’s winner output—29 to 13—wrapping up a one hour, 18-minute win.