Roger Federer US Open 2014

Roger Federer survives two match points in great escape at US Open<br /> New York: Gael Monfils very nearly did enough on Thursday night to break up the all-star coaches reunion. Mixing speeds and bright ideas in gusting wind, he won the first two sets of this US Open quarter-final against Roger Federer. He even had two match points on Federer's serve in the 10th game of the fourth set.<img alt="Roger Federer US Open 2014" src="http://images.smh.com.au/2014/09/05/5736337/Article%20Lead%20-%20wide6107069410cyiz1409897953359.jpg-620x349.jpg" title="Roger Federer US Open 2014" /><br /> But as has so often been the case through the years and the tournaments that matter most, the standing ovation would be for Federer, who rallied to win 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.<br /> Monfils might have the stuff of a showman, but Federer - even at age 33 with millions of dollars and 17 grand slam singles titles in the bank - still has the desire of a champion. And instead of Monfils making a breakthrough at Flushing Meadows, it will be Federer making a return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2011.<br /> <br /> He will do so in the company of his new coach Stefan Edberg, the elegant, net-rushing Swede who won back-to-back US Opens in 1991 and 1992. Federer's opponent on Saturday will be the 14th-seeded Marin Cilic, the Croatian veteran who is now coached by former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.<br /> In the other semi-final, Novak Djokovic, now coached by former No. 1 Boris Becker, will face Kei Nishikori, coached by former French Open champion Michael Chang.<br /> Edberg, Ivanisevic, Becker and Chang all played against each other. And after nearly a full season, the evidence appears indisputable: star players turned star coaches do make a difference.<br /> Missed chance: A dejected Gael Monfils.<br /> Missed chance: A dejected Gael Monfils. Photo: Getty Images<br /> "It's crazy and it's fun and it's great to see Michael, Stefan and Boris all in the semi-finals," Ivanisevic said on Thursday night. "We had so many great matches against each other, and now we are sitting there and we can't do anything, just clap and hope our guys are playing well and winning. Now, one of us is going to win a grand slam again as a coach. Who? It's going to be interesting."<br /> The only man who could have spoiled the symmetry was Monfils, who has no coach at all at the moment and seemed none the worse for the situation as he swept through his first four matches without dropping a set. He won the first two against Federer, too, before Federer put a stop to the streak by winning the third. But with the crowd pulling against him, Monfils managed to shake off an early break of serve in the fourth by breaking Federer back to 2-2. His chance came with Federer serving at 4-5 and 15-40.<br /> But Monfils decided to play it conservatively instead of boldly. Federer, with Edberg watching from the front row of the players' box, did the attacking, saving the first match point with a forehand volley that Monfils reached with his backhand and then missed.<br /> Federer saved the second match point with a forehand winner down the line and then served out the game to get back to 5-5.<br /> "I still thought the finish line was far for Gael," Federer said of losing the first two sets. "I knew I could play better tennis, and I got off to a good start and was feeling all right. But then when I was down two match points, I wasn't feeling so great any more. I thought, 'This was it, the last point, man. Just go down fighting. Don't miss an easy shot and let him have it.' "<br /> Monfils, clearly shaken, served consecutive double faults to lose his own serve in the next game, and Federer then served out the set.<br /> The rest, to borrow a French word, was denouement. Federer, after a resurgent year, is back in the final four of the US Open for the first time since 2011.<br /> Semi-finalist Cilic's last grand slam semi-final appearance occurred more than four years ago, an eternity in tennis years. The span included the peak of Cilic's years as a Croatian prodigy, a player graced with size and skill, but he never seemed to live up to the promise.<br /> The low point came last year, when a doping suspension forced him to miss four months and sit out the US Open. His ranking dipped to No. 37. He drew criticism from other players for the use of a banned stimulant, although he convinced an arbitrator that he was mostly not at fault.<br /> A year later, Cilic has climbed out of that career valley. He beat sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the quarter-finals on Thursday, propelling himself into the semi-finals of a major for the first time since he was a 21-year-old wonder at the 2010 Australian Open.<br /> Cilic conquered swirling winds at Arthur Ashe Stadium, on a court his opponent was far more familiar with, only a few days after a gruelling five-set match.<br /> "This was an amazing day for me," Cilic said. "I had a very hard couple of years, but I'm very happy. I'm very happy to break through here on this court."<br /> Cilic, the 14th seed, had beaten Berdych in the third round at Wimbledon, but the hardcourt at the Open seemed to favour Berdych's bigger serve and his deeper experience on one of tennis' biggest stages.<br /> The conventional wisdom proved to be wrong. Berdych could not figure out the wind during the first two sets, dropping his first two service games and four of his first five. He eventually found his way, but by then Cilic had won the first two sets and was revelling in the upgrades to his game, including a powerful serve of his own.<br /> "We are both hitting big, and it's a matter of who was going to put pressure on the other guy," Cilic said. "I think I did a little bit better today. I was returning a bit better, and I was putting a little bit more pressure on his second serve. Just overall, I felt that I used the wind a little bit better to my advantage."<br /> Cilic's serve peaked at 212km/h, as strong as Berdych's and far more effective.<br /> That made Cilic's coach very happy. A year ago, during his suspension, Cilic turned to Ivanisevic, his boyhood hero, to coach him. Ivanisevic, a Wimbledon champion who competed for 12 years at the top level of the sport, was known for his explosive serve - and temper.<br /> It was the serve that Ivanisevic wanted to teach to the tall Cilic.<br /> Against Berdych, Cilic had 19 aces and many other serves large enough to set up easy points. His serve is the most noticeable improvement since his forced hiatus, a time that Cilic credits for his new success.<br /> "I matured a bit more, and I was working day after day," Cilic said. "I wasn't, you know, relaxing and doing nothing. So I think that helped me to improve physically. Also, it helped me to have, you know, enough time to put some new parts in my game, which are helping me to play this good now."<br /> That new-found maturity helped him against Berdych, who seemed to come unglued when umpire Louise Azemar Engzell called a point against him in the third set, ruling the ball had bounced twice before he hit it. He won neither the argument nor the game, losing his poise and his last chance to be competitive.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> New York Times<br /> <br />

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Roger Federer survives two match points in great escape at US Open New York: Gael Monfils very nearly did enough on Thursday night to break...

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Roger Federer fightback ends Monfils run

<a href="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/9/5/635299header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Roger Federer " border="0" src="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/9/5/635299header.jpg" title="Roger Federer " /></a>Roger Federer progressed to the US Open semi-finals after he came from two sets down to deny a brave Gael Monfils on Thursday.<br /> <br /> The Swiss second seed saved match points in the fourth set, and eventually prevailed 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-5 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.<br /> <br /> It was just the seventh time in a major that Federer had successfully arrested a two-set deficit.<br /> <br /> French 20th seed Monfils had not lost a set heading into his quarter-final with 17-time major winner Federer, and was still on a perfect run when he claimed the first two sets within one hour 18 minutes of the first ball being hit.<br /> <br /> Federer claimed the third after getting the decisive break in the fifth game, and maintaining his advantage by dropping just two points on serve in his next three service games.<br /> <br /> Monfils' chance to seal the upset came in the 10th game of the fourth set, as he opened up a 15-40 lead on the Federer serve - and two match points - but the Swiss saved the first when Monfils put a pass attempt long and the second with a brutal forehand down-the-line winner.<br /> <br /> The game was the first of five straight for the five-time champion at Flushing Meadows, with Monfils - serving at deuce in the 11th game - double-faulting twice in succession to hand his opponent an easy break.<br /> <br /> Federer took it to a fifth and opened up a break lead for 2-0 in the decider, as he raced towards the finish line.<br /> <br /> When Monfils was broken to love in the fifth game, his spirit was virtually crushed as Federer went on to complete a brilliant comeback in three hours 20 minutes.<br /> <br /> There was not much between the pair statistically, with Federer edging Monfils in the winners' count 48-43 and conceding slightly fewer unforced errors 44-49.<br /> <br /> Federer will take on Croatian 14th seed Marin Cilic in the semi-finals.<br /> <br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GAa_JW9XVAw" width="420"></iframe>

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Roger Federer progressed to the US Open semi-finals after he came from two sets down to deny a brave Gael Monfils on Thursday. The Swiss s...

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Tsonga clinches Toronto title

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga completed his impressive Rogers Cup by claiming the title with a straight-sets win over Roger Federer on Sunday.<br /> <br /> The Frenchman battled to a 7-5 7-6 (7-3) victory over Swiss maestro Federer in the final in Toronto.<br /> <br /> It marked the 13th-seeded Tsonga's 11th ATP World Tour title and first since February 2013.<br /> <br /> On his way to the title, Tsonga claimed the scalps of four of the world's top 10 - Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov and Federer.<br /> <br /> The 29-year-old will return to the top 10 for the first time since March after becoming the first Frenchman to win on Canadian soil.<br /> <br /> Tsonga served 11 aces and gave second seed Federer no break-point opportunities during the 107-minute battle at the ATP 1000 hard-court event.<br /> <br /> Both players were comfortable on serve in the first set, until Tsonga broke to 30 in the 12th game.<br /> <br /> Tsonga wasted chances in the second, squandering break points in the sixth and eight games.<br /> <br /> His next missed opportunity was a match point in the 10th, but he made no mistake from 3-3 in the tie-break as he ran away to claim the title.

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga completed his impressive Rogers Cup by claiming the title with a straight-sets win over Roger Federer on Sunday. The Fr...

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Tsonga to meet Federer in Rogers Cup final

<a href="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/8/10/594807header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/8/10/594807header.jpg" /></a>Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made it through to his first final in three years after disposing of Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets at the Rogers Cup.<br /> <br /> Tsonga - seeded 13th - was too strong for Bulgarian seventh seed Dimitrov in the semi-finals, easing to a 6-4 6-3 win after an hour and 24 minutes in Toronto.<br /> <br /> The Frenchman won three break points, saved all four presented to Dimitrov and won 88 per cent of his first service points as he reached his first ATP Tour final since finishing runner-up at the BNP Paribas Masters in 2011.<br /> <br /> Tsonga - coincidently - lost that match-up to Roger Federer, who he will face in Sunday's decider after the Swiss second seed accounted for Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4.<br /> <br /> "I'm feeling good," said Tsonga.<br /> <br /> "I have been waiting for this moment for a couple of years now.<br /> <br /> "It's good because I have always believed in myself during all these years.<br /> <br /> "It will for sure make me stronger and keep my motivation at the highest level."<br /> <br /> A day after eliminating Andy Murray, Tsonga continued where he left off against Dimitrov, taking the opening set.<br /> <br /> Tsonga, though, did not have it all his own way in the first stanza after being forced to save four break points as he attempted to serve for the set with a 5-4 lead.<br /> <br /> The 29-year-old Frenchman ramped up the pressure in the second set, breaking twice as progressed to his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.<br /> <br /> Standing in Tsonga's way is Federer, who leads the head-to-head record 11-4.<br /> <br /> Federer - Rogers Cup champion in 2004 and 2006 and runner-up in 2007 and 2010 - made light work of Lopez as he wrapped up proceedings in straight sets.<br /> <br /> The 33-year-old sent down 13 aces and won 86 per cent of his first services points.<br /> <br /> Federer also broke twice throughout the encounter, while he did not face a break point against Lopez.

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made it through to his first final in three years after disposing of Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets at the Rogers Cup. ...

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