In the highly anticipated second-round showdown at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Tuesday night – and a rematch of the 2009 US Open final, No. 3 seed Roger Federer ousted Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in a slugfest 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 32 minutes to end his two-match losing streak to the No. 19 player in the world.
In front of a near sell-out crowd which included Federer’s close friend rock star Gavin Rossdale, who stopped in Cincinnati to enjoy tonight’s match before leaving for Austin, Texas for a concert, the Swiss jumped out to a quick start by breaking del Potro in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead in part to hard and consistent hitting in which many shots were painting the lines for winners.
“I feel well tonight, but Roger played like No. 1 in the world,” said del Potro.
Federer, a 16-time major singles champion, made 84 percent of first serve points in the first set, winning 81 percent of them, while smashing five aces past his 6’6” opponent. del Potro hit four aces and one double fault while struggling to find the court with his first serve, only making 61 percent.
During a pressure-filled second set that seemed as though momentum could swing at anytime towards del Potro, each player was able to hold serve until the 11th game when Federer finally earned a service break after failing to on his previous six chances. He consolidated the break to close out the match, much to the crowds approval. In the final set, Federer fired seven aces compared to just one double fault, as well as dropping just four points on his first serve. The 22-year-old Argentine was more impressive on serve in the final set, winning 78 percent of first serve points, but was kicked to the curb by winning just eight points on his second serve.
“I thought I played a wonderful first set and a very good second set, too. I don’t think I really allowed Juan Martin to be able to play the game he usually play,” said Federer.
Next up for the recently turned 30-year-old is a third round clash with veteran American wild card James Blake, who is currently ranked No. 84 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings.
The Swiss, who has won 67 career singles titles since turning pro in 1998, owns a 9-1 record against Blake including a first round win in Cincinnati in 2005.
In another noteworthy ATP World Tour match at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, recently crowned Legg Mason Tennis Classic champion Radek Stepanek, who is in the main draw after successfully coming through the qualifying tournament over the weekend, got past John Isner and an enthusiastic pro-American crowd for a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (4) win. The victory marked Stepanek’s 300th career match win. The Czech star withstood 21 aces in the two hour and 46-minute encounter from the former University of Georgia Bulldog standout.
“It was close,” said Isner, who drops to 23-18 on the season. “I don’t feel like I played too well, to be honest, but I’ll just put it behind me and just, you know, not think too much of it.”
On the WTA Tour side, all four top 10 players in action advanced including No. 4 seed Maria Sharapova, No. 5 Li Na, No. 6 Petra Kvitova and No. 8 Marion Bartoli. In-form Serena Williams, who is currently ranked No. 31 and 12-0 since Wimbledon, was cruising past Czech opponent Lucie Hradecka with a 6-3, 5-1 lead before falling behind 6-5 as well as in the tiebreak. The 13-time Grand Slam singles champion and former top-ranked player eventually regrouped to close out the match 7-6 (5) in the second in a match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes in the grueling Midwest heat.
“I was up and I didn’t close it out. She started playing different and better, and running a lot. I was struggling,” said Williams. “I don’t know what happened. It’s tough. I got in really late yesterday and had to play early today. Hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow.”
The South Florida resident will next face-off against No. 10 seed Samantha Stosur, a rematch of the Rogers Cup final last week in Toronto in which Williams beat the Australian with ease in straight sets to earn her second title of the summer.