Great tennis in Rome whe we have the top clay court players in the semifinals.
DJOKOVIC – TSONGA 7-5 6-1
High quality match here especially in the first set where Nole had a 3-0 early lead (great tennis) and Jo managed to fight back to recover the break down to be broken again. Basically the set was a bit strange because even if there were 5 breaks the tennis level was very high. Eventually Novak managed to conquer the decisive break when leading 6-5 after the Frenchman badly double faulted when he was supposed to save a break/set point.
Tsonga then melted down to give way to Djokovic in the second won 6-1 by the Serb.The match lasted 1h 23m
“In the second set I played one of the best sets on clay this year and this is encouraging for the challenges to come tomorrow and with Roland Garros,” said Djokovic. “I am playing and feeling better every match I play. I really don’t compare with 2011. I say that this is a new year and I had great results so far and I am playing good in Rome so far. I am increasing the level as the tournament goes on and this is important.”
FEDERER – SEPPI 6-1 6-2
Tennis lessons from the Master. Roger pulled out another reamrkable match. Besides the Swiss’ super tennis, we need to say that after winning an epic with Wawrinka the day before, the Italian had also no energy and mental power to trade shots with an immense Roger. After only 5 minutes Federer was already 3-0 up to end up the match in only 54 mintes.
“I was happy with everything,” commented Federer. “I knew Seppi being a favourite for the fans here was going to be a tough match. I was able to really take it to him right from the start, being aggressive, and it all played out. It’s a nice win on clay for me.”
“Tomorrow, I’ve got a chance against Djokovic,” Federer added . “I’m looking forward to that match. It’s another night session. I’m happy I’m playing so well on the court.”
Head to head is 14-10 for Roger against Novak (3-1 on clay). The last official match was at the US Open when Novak won a 5 set epic saving a match point with a “playstation Shot”.
Roger will try try to avenge that.
FERRER – GASQUET 7-6 (4) 6-3
Good match for David that took 1h 47 to dismiss Gasquet. The Spaniard managed to get to the semis without dropping a set to play again with Nadal.
“It was a tough match and I am happy getting into the semi-finals,” said Ferrer, “It is a Masters 1000 match and it was close. It was good and it was consistent all the time and the difference was only in some points. When I won the first set it was easier and I saw he was more tired than me.”
NADAL – BERDYCH 6-4 7-5
This was a very high quality match with both playing their best tennis. Tomas showed once again that he is in top form to trade shots with a “very fit” Nadal. After winning the opener 6-4, the Spaniard had an inspiring comeback to recover a 2-4 deficit in the second set to win it 7-5.
“I played one of my best matches on clay against a difficult opponent,” said Nadal. “It was a big match and one of the higher quality matches this year because the level of the opponent is high and he is playing with big confidence. I played under pressure all the time in the match; my chances on the return were few so I had to be focused. I hit a few fantastic shots and this kind of shot comes with confidence.”
Head to Head Nadal-Ferrer is 14-4 for Rafa. 11-1 on Clay. David won only their first match on clay in 2004 in Stuttgart.
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