Massive Comeback Earns Federer Spot in Monte Carlo Semis

April 18, 2014 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Roger Federer used an outstanding comeback to push past the ninth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Monte Carlo Rolex Masters quarterfinals on Friday, 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-3.

The Swiss native was on the brink of elimination, with his back up against the wall in the second set. After beginning with a sluggish start and dropping the first set 2-6, Federer found himself down 5-6 in the second set, with the game at 0-30. Two points from defeat and an exit from the Monte Carlo Masters quarters, Federer won the next four points and forced another tiebreak.

Following a Tsonga error, Federer was able to secure the set and force a third set tie-break. At that point, Federer had woken up and shaken off the rust, overpowering Tsonga to take the set 6-1. Federer needed 16 break points to finally break Tsonga’s serve and take a 2-0 lead in the set. He then broke the Frenchman’s serve once more to claim victory.

Just two points away from facing the same fate as his rival earlier in the day, Rafael Nadal, Federer escaped the quarterfinals with an improbable victory.

"The confidence is there. I played well from the baseline. My serve was consistent. I'm very happy that I have this foundation for my game,” said Federer. “Sometimes, you feel you have no foundation. But having it helped me to remain very calm during the whole match. I really believed that eventually I was going to come through. It's not possible to go through that many break points. I was playing good enough to make the break and then serve my way home. That's exactly kind of what happened.

Federer moves onto the semis to face the winner of the Friday afternoon match between defending Monte Carlo champion Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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