ROGER FEDERER AND SEPPI POWER FORWARD INTO GERRY WEBER OPEN FINALS IN HALLE, GERMANY

Written by: Staff on 20th June 2015

ROGER FEDERER AND SEPPI POWER FORWARD INTO GERRY WEBER OPEN FINALS IN HALLE, GERMANY

Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates after winning against Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in their semi final match of the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, 20 June 2015. EPA/MAJA HITIJ |

Federer and Seppi Power Forward

By Cheryl Jones

The Gerry Weber Open has been the springboard that has propelled Roger Federer into the winner’s circle not only in Halle, but to Wimbledon’s Centre Court finale as well. Today, thirty-three year-old Federer inched one step nearer to another title in Halle when he defeated Ivo Karlovic in the first match of the GWO’s Semifinals day, 7-6, 7-6. As one might imagine, yesterday’s hoopla rising from the unheard of (at the GWO, anyway) forty-five aces served up by Karlovic, made for interesting speculation. If, (and now that the match has already been decided, it was a huge “if”) Karlovic had remained as dead-on with his serve as he was yesterday, even Federer’s best game could have been in serious trouble. But, alas, that was not to be.

(Karlovic set an ATP World Tour, best-of-three sets, “aces” record yesterday. It was a match that I will always remember. I have watched tennis both in person and on television for well over fifty years and I am certain there were journalists who wanted to duct tape my mouth shut, because I was really impressed and I was quite vocal about it. It was with utter amazement that I watched the Croatian direct ball after ball exactly where they were supposed to go. It wasn’t the over used awesome; it was quite simply unbelievable. That wasn’t all there was to the record setting performance; with today’s loss to Federer and those twenty aces, his week in Halle netted him 114 aces in total.)

Even though today’s match seesawed back and forth with each player holding his serve for the twelve games that made up both sets. In the end, Federer triumphed in a Tie Break that had decided both sets. In the after-match interview, Federer admitted that he hadn’t played the first of those sets as well as he had hoped, but the score reiterated that it didn’t matter and underscored that the effort he put forth was enough.

Saturday afternoon in Halle, the man I have nicknamed “The Ace Machine”, Karlovic, managed 13 aces in the first set and 7 in the second. (Yesterday’s 45 aces have set a benchmark that will be hard to equal or exceed.) It was fortunate for the anxious crowd that the match lasted merely one hour and twenty-eight minutes, as all those collective pins and needles spilled out of the crowd and the air was filled with agonizing anticipation. When the match’s last ball was struck and it was clear that Federer had been able to outwit the “machine”, all was good in Halle-land for the man who has a lifetime contract with the Gerry Weber Open.

This will be the 130th final that Federer has contested and his 19th on grass. He now has 1,029 career match wins. It will take a bit more to surpass Ivan Lendl who has 1,071 on the books, and quite a bit more to pass American, Jimmy Connors who had 1,254 during his twenty-four year long career. Today, Federer notched his fiftieth win in Halle. He has surpassed that mark in six other tournaments – (Australian Open – 75; Wimbledon – 73; US Open – 72; Roland Garros – 65; Basel – 56; and Indian Wells – 52).

A surprise awaited spectators when Italian, Andreas Seppi was declared the winner when Kei Nishikori of Japan retired because a calf injury that was left over from yesterday was too painful to play through. The 4-1, Retired, score was disappointing to fans and even more disheartening for Nishikori.

Andreas Seppi of Italy plays a forehand during the semi final match against Kei Nishikori of Japan in the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, 20 June 2015. EPA/MAJA HITIJ

(Nishikori who is 25, was the youngest man left in contention at Halle. Each of the other three had watched thirty come and go. This tournament, as well as many others has seen the average age of contestants climb significantly in the last few years. As of the last day of February, Karlovic is 36, Federer is 33 (soon to be 34); and Seppi was 31 last February.)

Tomorrow the matches will deliver a winner and if I was a betting woman, I’d be behind Federer to carry the torch for yet another year. Halle is more than just another tournament to the man who has won the hearts of the townspeople of Halle. Federer will seek another taste of winning magic in the afternoon on Sunday at the Gerry Weber Open. The tournament that is near and dear to the hearts of the community that surrounds and includes Halle will conclude then; a champion will be crowned and the players, officials and their entourages will move on to London for another taste of strawberries and cream that have been on the dessert menu at Wimbledon since its inception, and Halle will return to its role as a quiet little town in the German countryside.

Topics: Andreas Seppi, Atp, Cheryl Jones, Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

June 20, 2015 at 11:38 am

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