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By Chris Oddo / Sunday, January 19, 2014
Crisp. Efficient. Breathtaking. Roger Federer’s 6-3, 7-5,
6-4 win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Day 8 was all that and
more.
Photo Source: Corleve
Faced with a familiar foe on the other side of the net,
Roger Federer suddenly seemed to become his
old self again.
Good for Federer, bad for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Federer’s dominant 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over his old rival
Tsonga issues a clear warning to the rest of the ATP’s elite:
Don’t count Roger out.
After going two consecutive Grand Slams without reaching the
quarterfinals, Federer tied Jimmy Connors for
tops on the ATP’s all-time quarterfinal list with 41. He has
now reached the quarterfinals in Australia eleven consecutive
times. More important, Federer proved to himself on Monday
night in Melbourne that he can produce the type of tennis that
he has been accustomed to playing ever since he broke through
and won his first Wimbledon in 2003.
“It’s been fun, it’s been a good ride,” said Federer after the
match. “I thought I played really well tonight. Against
Jo-Willy you have to bring your best game because he dictates
play a lot, and I thought I did a good job of dictating a lot
of plays.”
Pressuring Tsonga with poinpoint serving, Federer did not face
a break point until the eighth game of the third set.
And when he did he got a little help from Tsonga’s errant
backhand (which was his achilles heel for much of the night),
and finished that game off with his seventh ace for good
measure.
Federer dropped only six points on his first serve all evening,
and he kept his stat sheet off the ground tidy as well,
clocking 43 winners against only 21 unforced errors.
When he wasn’t cracking serves and backing them up with his
suddenly revived forehand, Federer was a fixture at net,
winning 34 of 41 points. These aggressive tactics enabled
Federer to control the tempo of the points, and keep Tsonga on
his heels, unsure of when to attack and when to defend.
“Jo makes you play an aggressive game, because if you don’t he
will come in,” said Federer.
Federer would remain aggressive until the finish closing the
match with a crisp forehand volley into the open court to put
Tsonga away in one hour and fifty-two minutes.
The victory marked the 32-year-old’s third win in three tries
against Tsonga at the Australian Open, but it was only
Federer’s fourth win in his last fourteen tries against top ten
opposition.
That’s a record that Federer will look to improve upon in the
quarterfinals when he meets Andy Murray for
the 21st time. Federer will certainly be the underdog againsnt
Murray, but if he can execute the same aggressive tactics,
he’ll certainly have his chances to win.
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