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TENNIS

Söderling win sets up Federer last eight clash

Swedish fifth seed Robin Söderling beat Spanish 21st seed Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 on Monday to join the last eight in the US Open.

Söderling win sets up Federer last eight clash

The French Open runner-up to world number one Rafael Nadal will face Swiss second seed Roger Federer who beat the Austrian 13th seed Jürgen Melzer 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 for a berth in the semi-finals.

Söderling, ousted from his first US Open quarter-final last year by Federer, has lost 12 of 13 meetings with the 16-time Grand Slam champion.

But the Swede won their most recent meeting in a French Open quarter-final this year to snap Federer’s run of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.

Federer enjoyed some fortune in beating the Austrian ace when he won two points off forehands that hit the net cord and dropped over the net to win the pivotal second set tiebreaker.

Federer took leads and 2-1 and 5-4 with the net-cord winners, the latter setting up two points on his serve. He won the first when Melzer sent a lob long and the last with a forehand winner to claim the set.

“I know I got really lucky,” Federer said. “Maybe I would have won the tie-breaker anyhow. That’s the way it goes. I could see he had big frustration over the two net cords. It was a good 10 minutes for me.”

It wasn’t all luck for the Swiss star though. Federer fired 10 aces and 41 winners at Melzer, who missed on two break chances in the second game of the second set. Neither man managed another in the set, setting up Federer’s charmed tie-breaker.

“It’s a pity I didn’t win at least one set,” Melzer said. “I think I deserved the second set. I think I was the more dangerous player. I had break points. He didn’t have any.”

Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion seeking his sixth US Open title and

seventh final in a row, predicted a tough quarter-final match against Robin Söderling, who is looking for his first grand slam win.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Federer said. “He’s a great player. He’s having a great last couple of years. He has always been a dangerous player but now he has been able to do it consistently.”

Federer reached his 26th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final, one shy of tying the all-time record streak belonging to Jimmy Connors. The last time Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final was the 2004 French Open.

Federer’s five-year US Open reign and 40-match Flushing Meadows win streak was ended in last year’s final by Juan Martin Del Potro. If Federer does reach a seventh US Open final in a row, he will face his seventh different opponent.

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ROGER FEDERER

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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