FEDERER FALLS, NADAL SURVIVES ON WILD WEDNESDAY IN ROME BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: on 14th May 2014
Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome
FEDERER FALLS, NADAL SURVIVES ON WILD WEDNESDAY IN ROME BY RICKY DIMON

epa04205059 Swiss Roger Federer returns the ball to Jeremy Chardy of France, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 14 May 2014. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI  |

A jam-packed day of second-round action at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia did not disappoint on Wednesday. Well, fans of Roger Federer–of which there are many in Rome and everywhere else–did have to go home disappointed.

 

Federer had a match point on his own serve in a third-set tiebreaker against Jeremy Chardy, but the underdog came up with a spectacular forehand passing shot and ended up prevailing 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in two hours and six minutes.

 

“I wasn’t really able to stretch the lead when I had it,” Federer reflected afterward. “I think we both struggled at times in the wind today and in the end a shot here or there decided the match. Credit to him for fighting his way back into the match.”

 

Another longshot Frenchman also fought admirably, this time in the nightcap against Rafael Nadal. Like Chardy, Gilles Simon battled back from a set down to force a decider, but Simon could not quite get over the hump. The longest best-of-three match of the entire season saw Nadal survive 7-6(1), 6-7(4), 6-2 after three hours and 18 minutes of play.

 

The top-ranked Spaniard had a chance to seal the deal in two, but he gave back an early break and also missed a second-serve return on match point late in the set.

 

“It was a tough moment in the second set, but this was the first match [during the current clay-court swing] where I had to suffer, mentally and physically,” Nadal admitted. “I was not playing bad and I am happy to have dealt with that kind of anxiety. I look forward to playing the third set because these are the matches that give me more satisfaction, the ones that test you very deeply. I did it and I am very happy.”

 

Next up for Nadal is Mikhail Youzhny, against whom the No. 1 seed is 10-4 lifetime. Chardy, meanwhile, will try to continue his run against fellow unseeded player Ivan Dodig.

 

A blockbuster slate of Thursday action also features Andy Murray vs. Jurgen Melzer, Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Tommy Haas, Tomas Berdych vs. Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Ferrer vs. Ernests Gulbis, and Novak Djokovic vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber.

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