Tennis News

The Men’s US Open draw is out! After days of speculation, the tennis world can finally see what potential roads the top seeds have to the final, and which underdogs have the opportunity to pull off an upset.
At first glance, the 2015 U.S. Open men’s tournament would seem to be a two-man event. After this season, and this summer, it’s hard to realistically imagine anyone other than world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or world No. 2 Roger Federer holding up the winner’s trophy two weeks from now. But then, we might have thought something similar last year, and the two men who played for the title ended up being Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori (who beat Federer and Djokovic in the semifinals, respectively).

Thus the preludes leading to the final slam of this year had a lot to offer, which in turn raised the bar for the actual action at the US Open. Aided by the shuffling of the rankings which have been occurring throughout the course of the year, the men’s draw in Flushing Meadows has some blockbuster matches in the pipeline, starting right from the first round.

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​TOP HALF

 1^st Quarter – (1) Novak Djokovic & (8) Rafael Nadal

On the one hand, Djokovic, despite making the semifinals or better at the last 8 US Opens, has won the title just once. While he has always loved the buzz inside Ashe Stadium, he hasn’t always loved the wind that swirls there. In each of the last three years, he has been caught and passed by a hot opponent—Andy Murray in 2012, Rafael Nadal in 2013, Nishikori in 2014—on the final weekend. On the other hand, Djokovic’s lone title came in 2011, a brilliant season much like the one he’s having this year. And that infamous wind in Ashe may not swirl the same way now that there’s a roof on top of the stadium. Whatever the conditions, these days it’s pretty much a given that Djokovic is going to be in the mix at the end of any tournament he enters.

As has become something of a tradition, ailing Rafa Nadal sees his probable draw the stiffest of any top player. And that’s before he reaches Djokovic. Of all the possible openers, he’s landed confident 18-year-old Borna Coric – who beat the Spaniard in straight sets late last year (Basel), while Nadal struggled with appendicitis. However, Rafa lived up to the task and eliminated Borna in four sets to set up a meeting against Diego Schwartzman in round two. He could then face his nemesis Fabio Fognini in the third round, and 10th seed Milos Raonic in the round of 16. Mardy Fish, contesting his final US Open, is also present here and got through to the second round after overcoming Marco Cecchinato of Italy.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic kicked off in style against Joao Souza, and will face Andreas Haider-Maurer next, who defeated Wimbledon quarterfinalist Vasek Pospisil in five sets. Notable names in Andreas Seppi and David Goffin also lurk further down the line (Janowicz and Andujar lost their first round matches yesterday).

Possible Dark-Horse: 18^th seed Feliciano Lopez. On a run of good form, he starts against a qualifier and could beat either of Verdasco or Raonic in round three. As a bonus, he’s already taken down potential fourth round opponent Rafa this month.

Expected QF: (1) Novak Djokovic d. (8) Rafael Nadal – Although Rafa’s had the better of Novak in New York (2-1; 3 finals – 2010, 2011 2013), Novak’s won the last 6 of the 7 they have played since the 2013 US Open final. Expect Rafa to put up a valiant fight (Rafa is 20-1 in NY since 2010) but Novak’s in a different league at the moment.

 2^nd Quarter – (4) Kei Nishikori (already out – lost to Benoit Paire), (7) David Ferrer & (9) Marin Cilic (Defending Champion) 

This is the quarter of the walking wounded, and of opportunity to pounce on. Don’t be fooled by Ferrer sandwiching this quarter. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, With Gael Monfils having retired from the match against Illya Marchenko, Grigor Dimitrov and defending champion Marin Cilic are also still the mix here – and that’s just to name a few! Benoit Paire’s win over Nishikori was the biggest shocker of the tournament so far and it was a pity that Alexandr Dolgopolov, who has been playing some excellent tennis in recent weeks had to retire from his encounter against Sam Groth. Jo-Willy Tsonga is looking real good this time around, having beaten Jarkko Nieminen in straights.

David Ferrer, on the other hand, should have a breezy opening couple of rounds… before the culture shock of Jeremy Chardy or Martin Klizan, followed by Grigor Dimitrov or defending champion Marin Cilic (another 3R cracker). Cilic defeated Guido Pella of Argentina and will be next up against Evgeny Donskoy who ousted Lucas Pouille.

Grand Slams were never meant to be easy!

Possible Dark-Horse: 19^th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Finally attaining a Big 4-less quarter, Jo must seize the opportunity to resurrect his top 5 game and reintroduce himself as a big-hitting, consistent threat.

Expected QF: (19) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. (9) Marin Cilic – Tsonga has been struggling for the last few months but he seems to be getting stronger day by day. After allowing Nieminen only a handful of games in his first round match, he showed that he is to be taken seriously here.

BOTTOM HALF

 3^rd Quarter – (3) Andy Murray & (5) Stan Wawrinka 

Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are the top two seeds here. If Murray is going to get back to the semis again, he may have to hope that someone else knocks Stan off. The last time they played, in the quarters at the Open in 2013, Wawrinka won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Yet again, the draw delights to throw up some drama. If Wawrinka wins his opener against Alberto Ramos-Vinolas, he faces the prospect of fast-rising South Korean Hyeon Chung in round two – the Futures dominator with the unique groundstrokes. Big-hitting Gilles Muller or home hope Jack Sock are potentials for the ensuing clash, while Viktor Troicki or Gilles Simon could await in round four. That is, if the inconsistent Swiss survives until then.

Down at the bottom end, seasoned Frenchman Adrian Mannarino is a potential second round encounter for Murray – should the Scot emerge unscathed from his firework first round showdown with Nick Kyrgios. If the draw gods wanted to send naughty Nick home early, they picked the right man for the job. Murray has won all eight sets they’ve played.

Countryman James Ward – who would have to go through just Thomas Belucci and a qualifier – would make entertaining third round opposition for the Brit, and either rising Austrian Dominic Thiem or massive-serving Kevin Anderson could push the World No.3 in the penultimate clash of the quarter.

Best 1R clashes: Andy Murray versus Nick Kyrgios; Gilles Simon versus Donald Young; Viktor Troicki versus Francis Tiafoe.

Possible Dark-Horse: 29^th seed Dominic Thiem. The 22-year-old has been triumphant at 3 ATP events this year, and has the all-round game to inflict serious damage. He should win every match up to Murray, whom he could scare at the very least.

Expected QF: (3) Andy Murray d. (5) Stan Wawrinka – A contrast of styles brings us to the intriguing conclusion that this match could very well go the distance (Stan’s made the QF of the last 5 slams he’s played & Andy’s last QF miss was 2010 US Open). Although, Stan leads Andy 2-1 at Flushing Meadows, an in-form Andy should get this one (could be their 1^st meeting since the 2013 US Open QF). Revenge on the cards!!

4^th Quarter – (2) Roger Federer & (6) Tomas Berdych

“I haven’t made the final since 2009, actually,” Federer said last week while talking about his Open chances. He sounded a little surprised himself. As well as he has played overall in recent years, it hasn’t translated to Grand Slam success; he’s won just one major since the 2010 Australian Open.

But after beating Djokovic in Cincinnati, it’s obvious that Federer is playing well again, so well that some have deemed him the favorite at the Open. As Federer pointed out, though, New York isn’t Cincy: The balls are slower, the courts are grittier, and the matches are three-out-of-five sets—none of which works to the 34-year-old’s advantage.

Roger Federer is not expected to fall early. However, there is plenty of stiff competition in his section of the draw. Leonardo Mayer – who had 5 match points against him last year – is his first round opponent, and Marcos Baghdatis – the experienced pro who has previously caused him some issues – could await in round two. German danger Philipp Kohlschreiber is a threat to follow after, with big-servers John Isner and Ivo Karlovic each in line for the round of 16 (the serving power-houses’ match; we do have a 5^th set TB in NY).

Tomas Berdych opens against a wildcard and should then face Denis Kudla, before things step up a notch against any of Sam Querrey, Nicolas Mahut, Janko Tipsarevic or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. His fourth round is quite unpredictable. Of the contenders, Aussies Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic could face off in round two, and Dustin Brown potentially awaits the winner of Thanasi Kokkinakis versus Richard Gasquet.

Best 1R clashes: Thanasi Kokkinakis versus Richard Gasquet; Sam Querrey versus Nicolas Mahut; Roger Federer versus Leonardo Mayer.

Possible Dark-Horse: 21^st seed Ivo Karlovic. He made the fourth round of Wimbledon, and – should John Isner permit – has the draw to accomplish a second straight major round of 16.

Expected QF: (2) Roger Federer d. (12) Richard Gasquet – The resurgent Frenchman should be a good test for the 5-time champion. But Roger’s recent ominous form suggests that he will conquer Gasquet in a hurry (Roger leads 14-2 overall; won the last 6 including 12 sets in a row).

Expected SF

(1) Djokovic d. (4) Nishikori – Expect the Japanese star to put up a courageous fight against the modern-day legend (a repeat of the 2014 US Open SF which Kei won in 4 sets). Novak should complete the retribution without much trouble this time around.

(2) Federer d. (3) Murray) – Roger is perhaps in Murray’s mind and his only “Achilles heel” at the moment. Federer’s won the last five against Andy including the last 10 sets against the Scot. The battle for the “World No.2 ranking” should be a good one. This is a tough match to predict but Roger should pip Andy again (Andy will definitely win a set or two).

Finals

(2) Federer d. (1) Djokovic – The Swiss got the better of his nemesis at the Cincy final and with confidence and portentous form which he has shown, he should get this one from Serb. Novak’s US Open final record is appalling (1-4) and that could definitely play a big part in this match. Going into this match Roger’s the underdog and the “GOAT” should be able to exorcise the demons of the 2014 & 2015 Wimbledon Finals. We could have the best US Open final since 2009 (Del Potro d. Federer). Expect Roger to turn 18 this summer!!

​It is No.1 vs. No.2 as Serena Williams and Simona Halep will battle it out in the Western & Southern Open final in Cincinnati on Sunday.

Defending champion Serena Williams could become the first player to win the Cincinnati title twice, if she manages to hold off Simona Halep in the final on Sunday. No player since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2004 has wielded to achieve the feat.

Williams dropped just the single set last year on her way to brushing aside Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 in the final. But she noticeably hasn’t been her dominant self throughout the US Open Series this season, punctuated by her shock loss against WTA Rising Star Belinda Bencic in Toronto last week. Poor serving has also landed Williams in trouble in Cincinnati this week, but the World No. 1 has nevertheless managed to reach the final for the third year in a row, having only dropped the single set (in a rematch against Ivanovic in the quarterfinals).

In her semi-final meeting with Elina Svitolina, it was the World No. 20 who came out with all of the impulse and momentum. But the defending champion retrieved her calmness to win the next eleven out of 15 games to secure her place in the final.

But there is still one more vault that Williams needs to overcome: Simona Halep. After a brief slouch in form, which saw her left with no wins at Wimbledon, Halep has rebounded back in recent weeks. She defeated consecutive top 25 opponents Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska and Sara Errani on her way to the Toronto final last week. She retired due to illness in the final against Belinda Bencic, but Halep has sprung back, despite the quick turnaround, to reach her second WTA final in as many weeks.

In doing so, Halep has also managed to recover the No. 2 ranking from Maria Sharapova, which could therefore have major significances for both herself and Sharapova’s US Open campaigns. With the Grand Slam seedings to be announced next week, Halep can effectively avoid a clash with Williams until potentially in the final, while Sharapova is not warranted the same safety. If the former US Open champion is drawn in Williams’ top half of the draw, she could be on track to face her nemesis earlier than preferred. Williams holds the dominant 17-0 winning streak against Sharapova.

Halep defeated Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, Andrea Petkovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (3), 6-2 and Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2 to reach the final for the first time. But she only ever defeated Williams once (at the WTA Finals in Singapore last year) in six meetings, and it was the World No. 1 who was successful when they met earlier this year in Miami (she did get a walkover from Williams at Indian Wells).

But can Williams be able to turn around her disastrous serving percentage to win her fifth title of the season ahead of the US Open?

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are set to collide for the fifth time this season in the Cincinnati Masters 2015 final on Sunday and the stakes are as high as ever. Novak Djokovic is chasing history, while Roger Federer is more concerned with boosting his chances for the next few weeks, but there is more than enough on the line for both players to make this Cincinnati Masters final a must-watch on Sunday. Check out the Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic Head to Head matches.

Djokovic is bidding to make history at the Western & Southern Open as a victory against Federer would see him become the first man to have won all nine Masters Series events in his career & complete the “Career Golden Masters”.

What is at stake for world no. 1 Novak Djokovic? In terms of this season, Djokovic certainly doesn’t need the Cincinnati Masters title to boost his confidence or give him momentum coming into the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, which begins on Monday 31 August: He’s won almost all of the significant events of the season so far, including Grand Slams at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and Masters Series titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome. But Djokovic could capture a quite incredible record if he betters his four previous runner-up finishes in Cincinnati: A title on Sunday will see him become the first man in history to win all nine Masters Series events over the course of his career. Following so close behind Federer and Rafael Nadal, there are few major records which Djokovic can break, but this would set an absurdly high and historical mark.

Meanwhile, defending champion Federer will be bidding to regain his World No. 2 ranking from Andy Murray (who had ousted Roger from the No.2 spot after his win in Montreal) and effectively secure the No. 2 seeding for the US Open. If he is successful, it would therefore mean he can avoid playing Djokovic until potentially in the Grand Slam final. Securing the No. 2 seeding at the US Open would be a huge boost for Federer, as the 34-year-old is still chasing his elusive 18th major title. Djokovic has ended his Grand Slam run on seven occasions across their career, most recently in the Wimbledon final for the past two years in a row. If Federer won, the title would merely be his seventh at the Cincinnati Masters, where the courts favor attacking tennis and where he has a ridiculously good record (41-8; 6 titles).

Federer has typically been more successful than Djokovic, in fact anyone for that matter, at the Cincinnati Masters in the past. He has won the title a record six times, and he has also reached the quarterfinals or better on a further two occasions. Moreover, Federer has never lost in the Cincinnati final, which gives him a 100 per cent winning rate when it comes down to the final two at the Masters event. On the contrary, Djokovic has never managed to win the Cincinnati title, despite having reached the final on four occasions. Additionally, the World No. 1 has never actually won a set in the final. Two of those losses have come against Federer as well, in 2009: 1-6, 5-7 and again in 2012: 0-6, 6-7 (7).

The head-to-head record is tied at 20-20 between the pair and their meetings on the hard surface are also tied at 1-1 this season. Sunday’s final represents the best opportunity Federer has had to beat Djokovic all season long. Will he take it? With their head-to-head evenly poised, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer face off in the final of the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday. Could fitness concerns for Djokovic see him denied the historic ‘Masters Slam’ by Federer?

Djokovic is not playing at the same level he was at Wimbledon or Indian Wells when he beat Federer in the final, whereas Federer is playing as close to perfect as perhaps possible. And Djokovic has been far from perfect this week. Add to the fact that he had a much longer and more physical semifinal the week after reaching the final in Montreal, Federer has a considerable physical advantage. It will still be close, but most of the advantages are in Federer’s favour. Federer won in Dubai, which is a surface more similar to Cincinnati. He also won Shanghai against Djokovic, which is also a surface closer to Cincinnati’s. Remember that Federer has beaten Djokovic twice in Cincinnati and has never lost more than six games to the Serb on this court. This is a speedy hard courts on which Federer’s game is more effective.

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Andy Murray and Roger Federer will confront each other for the 25th time on Saturday in the Semifinals of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. A victory will assure Murray of the 2nd seed at the US Open, while Federer needs to win the tournament to pass the Scot in the ATP Rankings ahead of the last Major of the year. Novak could possibly be waiting in the finals as he attempts to become the 1st man to win the “Career Golden Masters” (win all the 9 Masters events).

Federer leads the head-to-head 13-11 and has won all the last 4 matches against Murray, his last defeat coming at the 2013 Australian Open. In the last 4 matches, Roger has absolutely dominated the Scot dropping just 1 set in the process. This includes the 6-0, 6-1 drubbing at the 2014 World Tour Finals in London (round robin stage). Murray, however, is ahead in the head-to-head on outdoor hard court 8-7 (Federer leads 11-10 on hard including the indoor events). Federer also leads 2-1 in Cincy against the British No.1. Roger is tracking the 7th Final of his career in Cincinnati, where he has already claimed 6 titles, while Andy is in quest for his 3rd, with 2 titles already under his belt. Federer has never lost a SF in Cincy whereas Murray is 2-1 in Cincy SF (the loss was against Roger in 2009).

As Andy Murray eventually ended his two year wait and 8-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic in Montreal on Sunday, the Brit also woke up superseding Roger Federer as the new World No. 2 just a couple of weeks before the start of the US Open. Roger Federer had held a solid hold on the second spot since last October but because of the swap, the all-time Grand Slam champion’s already-tough road to the U.S. Open got even tougher. It may only have a peripheral effect on the year’s final Slam, but could have big ramifications if the draw plays out in a specific way.

The Swiss No.1 had decided to skip the Rogers Cup in Canada last week to see to it that he is in the best potential shape for Flushing Meadows but being overhauled by Murray could have severe entailments on his likely path to the title.

American Legend Pete Sampras believes Federer has a chance of winning the US Open but says if he has to play Murray, Djokovic and Nadal back-to-back it becomes more difficult for him and this could now be the path he has to take after dropping out of the world’s top two. If he had sustained his ranking going into the final major, Federer would have by all odds avoided facing the World No.1 Nole until the final, but now he has a 50% chance of facing Djokovic in the semi-finals depending on which side of the draw the number three seed is placed. This opens up the chance of a rematch of their famous 2010 and 2011 semi-finals on Arthur Ashe Stadium which saw Djokovic save two match-points in consecutive years to beat Federer in five epic sets.

Federer still leads their head-to-head in New York 3-2 but at 34-years of age, it will now undoubtedly be harder for him to back up huge victories against the top players again just two days later. This was the case at Wimbledon, where he played incredibly well to knock out Murray in straight-sets, but despite still playing at a very high standard he was outlasted by the stubborn and undisputed Djokovic in the final.

This is not to suggest it is all doom and gloom for Federer, the implications could be wholly positive as he will certainly be rested and refreshed given the prolonged break following Wimbledon. The attention and expectation are also off the 17-time Grand Slam champion as many saw this year’s final at SW19 as his last realistic shot at title number 18 and with Murray putting a psychological marker down to Djokovic in Montreal, much of the focus heading into the US Open will be of a potential final between the pair. This will perhaps allow Federer to slide under the radar as he goes in search of his sixth title in New York.

Also being ignored as a contender for the title is Rafael Nadal, who is back in the top eight of the world rankings. This is obviously hugely important to the draw at Flushing Meadows as Nadal will not have to worry about a potential fourth round clash with a top eight player if he remains in this position, but it remains to be seen if he can rediscover any kind of form to go deep in New York. There have been occasional glimpses that Nadal is on the right path back to the top with his recent victories in Stuttgart and Hamburg, but the problem for the Spaniard has been when he tries to follow up these wins at ‘lesser’ tournaments with events alongside the world”s best. He was comfortably beaten by Kei Nishikori in Montreal last week as his confidence appears to be missing when he comes up against the sport’s top players. The one major thing to note is Rafa’s always made the final since 2010 (he missed 2012 & 2014 due to injuries).

He might perhaps be able to take solace from his old rival’s season in 2013. Federer himself slipped to number eight in the world and was written off by many after a hugely disappointing season two years ago, before rediscovering his form to challenge Djokovic at the top of the game.

With all this being said, it is sure to be an exciting two weeks at the US Open starting August 31st.

STATS-METER

• As the 2nd Seed – Federer’s been the 2nd seed at 14 slams over his career. He’s won on 4 occasions – 2004 AO, 2008 USO, 2009 FO, 2009 WIM – “Unique Career Slam as the No.2 seed”. Murray’s was seeded 2nd at 2 slams and he’s won 1 – the epic 2013 WIM.
• As the 3rd Seed – Federer’s been the 3rd seed at 7 slams over his career. He’s won just once as the 3rd seed – his last major victory – 2012 WIM. Murray’s was seeded 3rd at 8 slams and he’s won 1 – his first slam at the 2012 USO.

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic inches nearer to becoming the first man in history to win all nine Masters Series events or the “Career Golden Masters”, as he confronts qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov, the unorthodox Ukrainian in the Cincinnati semifinals. Novak Djokovic tries to get one step closer to a finals trip for a 5th time in Cincinnati (0-4 in finals in Cincy). The Western & Southern Open remains the only Masters level title that he has failed to win in his career. For Alexandr Dolgopolov, a win would give him his first career Masters level final.

With his resonating 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Stan Wawrinka on Friday, Novak Djokovic maintained his Cincinnati Masters aspiration alive and now faces surprise semifinalist Alexandr Dolgopolov for a place in the final.

A quarterfinal against Stan Wawrinka, the man who abnegated him the only Grand Slam he hasn’t yet won back in June, appeared like an austere challenge, particularly given that Djokovic hadn’t played his best tennis either last week in Montreal – where he lost in the final to Andy Murray – or in Cincinnati, struggling through in three sets over David Goffin in the third round. But in the end Djokovic was rock-solid against Wawrinka, edging a tight first set before racing away with the second for a comprehensive & astounding 6-4, 6-1 victory which was far from the classic the tennis world was anticipating for.

Djokovic won’t be particularly threatened by the sight of Dolgopolov as a SF opponent – not with Andy Murray and Roger Federer still safely settled in the bottom half of the draw. The top seed’s projected SF opponent was sixth seed Tomas Berdych, but the Czech – who is going through a lusterless spell – was the latest victim of an invigorated run from Dolgopolov.

The Ukrainian, ranked world no. 66, actually had to qualify for the Cincinnati Masters draw, but benefitted from the first-round bye that would have been Kei Nishikori’s, who withdrew after the draw was made. Dolgopolov has certainly made the most of that slash of luck, beating Bernard Tomic, Jerzy Janowicz – who had eliminated Gael Monfils – and finally sixth seed Berdych in comprehensive fashion, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second Masters semifinal of his career so far.

Dolgopolov and Djokovic have played four times and each time the Serbian has been the winner (all coming in Masters or Grand Slam settings). Intriguingly, however, two of their four matches have gone the length, including their most recent meeting in Miami in March, when Djokovic won 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-0. Dolgopolov’s slicing, dicing, aggressive game can wreak mayhem with other players, even Djokovic, for a set, but if Djokovic is as rock-solid as he was against Wawrinka, he will counter & blunt Dolgopolov’s attacking edges and put himself just one match away from a fifth tilt at the Cincinnati Masters title.

Djokovic unquestionably wants this title for his “Golden Master” as the only one he has failed to win in his career. He should also be savouring either a revenge shot against Andy Murray or another chance to dent Roger Federer’s confidence in the final. Ironically, Novak’s never lost a SF in Cincy but has never won a final here (4-0 in SF & 0-4 in Finals).

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Defending champion Roger Federer is primed to collide with Feliciano Lopez in the Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals on Friday. The tennis cosmos was abnegated a Federer-Nadal quarterfinal in Cincinnati when Feliciano Lopez upset the established order by taking out fellow Spaniard in the 3R. So it will be second-seeded Roger Federer taking on Lopez with a berth in the semifinals on the line. Feliciano Lopez will attempt the hard task of beating Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in back to back matches in the Cincinnati quarterfinals when he takes on the world number three Federer tonight (Last man to beat Rafa and Roger (or vice versa) in back-to-back matches – Novak Djokovic in 2011 US Open).

Federer obviated a quarterfinal showdown with Rafael Nadal after Lopez upstaged his compatriot in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the third round. It was just the fourth time in 13 matches that Lopez had managed to pull off the victory against Nadal (2nd win in a row against Rafa after Shanghai 2014).

“It means a lot when you beat such a good player like him,” Lopez said. “It’s not a normal match. It’s something different and the atmosphere there when you play against Rafa, it’s always something special … I think he’s playing better, getting better and better”. “He played good today. I mean I was playing really my best today. Doesn’t matter the way he played because I was playing so good today”. Nadal agreed: “He played a fantastic match, I think. He played the best match ever against me, without a doubt”.

Lopez had earlier recorded straight set victories against both Milos Raonic and Andreas Seppi. But Federer presents the biggest challenge yet and Lopez has never defeated the World No. 3 in eleven attempts. Federer also eased his way into the quarterfinals after a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory against Kevin Anderson.

“Definitely felt better than other days. Felt good on the return, felt good on the serve, seeing just the ball really well,” Federer said. “It’s a pleasure to play that way because it doesn’t happen very often that you feel this good. So you’ve got to enjoy it, but then, unfortunately, you have to quickly put it behind you and look forward.”

He added: “Played a lot against him (Lopez) in my life. We go way back to the European Championships, under-16 and under-18 where I lost both times against him. “Then on the Tour I don’t think I lost against him, but we played on all different conditions, and we know each other obviously very well because of that. It was a tough match for him tonight; played a good ’breaker. Obviously everybody knows how well he can serve. He also beat Raonic here, now Rafa. Clearly he’s on a run.”

Federer is a six-time champion in Cincinnati, with his most recent title coming last year, whereas this is Lopez’s greatest run ever at the Masters event. Lopez is into his first quarterfinal in Cincinnati, while Federer is contesting his ninth. Every time Federer has advanced past the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, he has gone on to win the title (6-2 in QFs in Cincy; 6-0 in SFs and Finals).

Federer is a perfect 11-0 against Lopez in his career. In those eleven meetings, Lopez has only won four sets, the last one coming on clay in 2011. The last time Lopez won a set against Federer on hard courts was the 2007 US Open. Their most recent match was on the hard courts of Toronto last year during the 2014 Rogers Cup SF, which Federer won 6-3, 6-4.