Roger Federer recorded his 18th win in 20 matches over American Andy Roddick on Friday. Roddick fell to 0-9 lifetime against Top 10 opponents on clay when Swiss superstar Federer triumphed 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-1 for a place in the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament. Federer will play World No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro.
Second seed Federer hit 15 aces and won 71 per cent of service points for victory in two hours and 12 minutes. Roddick battled back from a 0-3 deficit to a 5-3 lead in the second-set tie-break, eventually clinching the set, but could not stem Federer’s power in the decider. Federer opened up a 3-0 lead and saved one break point in the fifth game before suffering his fourth service break in the next game. It was the pair’s first meeting on clay.
"I thought it was a good match," said Federer. "I think Andy was mixing up his serve very well and I think I came up with some nice points. I should have or could have won in straight sets but that is what happens when you play Andy sometimes."
The 27-year-old Federer, who captured the 2006 title (d. Gonzalez) and finished runner-up in 2007 (l. to Nalbandian), improved to 24-6 on the 2009 ATP World Tour season. He has a 193-59 lifetime record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments and his 193 match-wins is second only to Andre Agassi (209).
Federer reached his sixth semi-final of the 2009 ATP World Tour season. On Saturday he will be looking to reach his first final since the Australian Open in January.
Roddick received a walkover into the quarter-finals when his third-round opponent Nikolay Davydenko pulled out ahead of the match with a left leg injury. The Texas resident, 26, struck nine aces past Federer but could only convert one of three break point opportunities in his 43rd match of the year (27-6 record).
"I think I would have been foolish to come here and expect to play great right away, but I played pretty well," said Roddick. "I mean, let’s be honest, I was one point away and then all of the sudden a default and then I’m staring at a third set in the quarter-finals. I played one loose game in the third set and I was actually already down a break but there are some good things to take out of it. I have definitely felt worse going into the French Open before."
Juan Martin del Potro broke up the Big 4 party when he upset World No. 3 Andy Murray 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals. Murray was attempting to join World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 2 Federer and No. 4 Novak Djokovic in the last four.
Del Potro, who reached the Miami semi-finals earlier this year, advanced to his first clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final. The tall Argentine is chasing his second title of the year to add to his Auckland title in January. Murray had served for the first set at 5-3 before del Potro broke back and eventually took the set to a tie-break.
Del Potro's clean hitting and ruthless dispatching of mid-court balls proved too much for Murray, who this week moved to a career-high No. 3 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings.
Federer holds a perfect 4-0 record against del Potro and at their most recent meeting in January's Australian Open quarter-finals, the four-time ATP World Tour Champion destroyed del Potro 6-3, 6-0, 6-0.
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament was contested on an indoor hard-court surface between 2002 and 2008, but has moved to a clay surface at the Caja Magica this year.
(From Website : http://www.atpworldtour.com/TENNIS/1/EN/NEWS/NEWSARTICLE_3666.ASP)
