Roger Federer will continue his Cincinnati campaign on Saturday against a red-hot Milos Raonic. David Ferrer and Julien Benneteau are also bidding for a spot in the title match.
(5) Milos Raonic vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Raonic will be going head-to-head for the sixth time in their careers and for the second time this summer when they clash in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open on Saturday night. All five of their previous encounters have gone the way of Federer, who just dominated Raonic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the Wimbledon semis. The 33-year-old Swiss is 12-3 in total sets in this matchup and 8-0 in the last eight. He also cruised 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 at the 2013 Australian Open.
Raonic, though, has not looked back since his run at the All-England Club. The seventh-ranked Canadian triumphed in Washington, D.C., reached the Toronto quarters, and so far in Cincinnati he has defeated Robby Ginepri, Steve Johnson (in a third-set tiebreaker), and Fabio Fognini. Federer has advanced with victories over Vasek Pospisil, Gael Monfils, and Andy Murray. The five-time Cincinnati champion, a runner-up last week at the Rogers Cup, has additional momentum after storming back from two breaks down in the second set against Murray. This will not be easy, but Federer is always comfortable at this tournament and he has had little difficulty–relative to others–handling the Raonic serve.
Pick: Federer in 3
[polldaddy poll=8248997]
(6) David Ferrer vs. Julien Benneteau
Ferrer and Benneteau will be squaring off for the 10th time in their careers on Saturday. As Benneteau pointed out after his quarterfinal upset of Stan Wawrinka, he has an encouraging history against his more accomplished opponent. The Frenchman has won four of nine previous meetings with Ferrer and he leads the series 3-2 on hard courts. They most recently faced each other last fall in Valencia, where the Spaniard took care of business at home 6-2, 6-1.
Benneteau nearly got bounced out of this event right away, but he saved a match point in a 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(7) win over Blaz Rola. Before ousting Wawrinka, the world No. 41 also beat James Ward and Jerzy Janowicz. Ferrer also was one point away from losing his opener, only to survive Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4) after fighting off two match points. The sixth seed followed that up with scalps of Mikhail Youzhny and Tommy Robredo. Ferrer, who also played well in Toronto, is 42-15 for the season. Benneteau has never performed well in the latter stages of tournaments (0-9 in ATP finals), so an in-form Ferrer is likely to handle this pressure-packed match in superior fashion.
Pick: Ferrer in 2
[polldaddy poll=8248998]
Federer has proved he is more than capable of handling the barrage from the Raonic serve and his vastly superior experience should make this a routine win. Raonic’s movement has steadily improved but the 33 year old has demonstrated he has lost none of his agility this week. If his serve holds up he could even finish this in straight sets if he cuts down on the error count and doesn’t get into a tie-break situation.
Federer in 2
Ferrer for the win against Benneteau in straight sets.
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/500587138162106369/photo/1
^^^ Is this some kind of smear campaign?
ed (at 11:24 am),
It’s paraphrasing (see “Facebook chat: Tennis players react to Nadal’s U.S. Open Series absence”)
I was wearing the wrong glasses: thought it was a photo of Andy. However I still don’t understand the point of the comment.
ed (at 5:05 pm),
Do you understand the point of LA’s comment in the Facebook chat I mentioned ?
I am going to pick Fed in three sets. I have this feeling that Raonic will put up a fight. He’s playing well now and even though Fed has been able to handle his big serving, I still don’t think it’s going to be straightforward.
Ferrer should beat Benny in two sets. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more competitive.
Solid win for Daveed. His interview with Gilbert/PMac/Cahill after the match was interesting. Cahill asked him about his improved serve and David said that he had changed his grip (more forward I think he said) and that accounts for the extra few mph’s we’ve witnessed. He also said that while he loves to run for exercise, that as he’s aged, he’s starting to have a few problems with his knees, so he spends more time on the bike doing cardio. Very pleasant post match interview. His English is a lot better than it used to be. Cracked me up that he also uses the phrase “is the true.”
that interview was awesome
Yes, Ferrer interview was fun…his English is getting better. Tonight, I like Fed in straight.
Vasek and Jack do it again. They’re into the finals tomorrow against the Bryans. Should be a great match.
What a one sided match. Roger definitely seemed in the groove on his serve
Sheesh. I think it might have even been less competitive than their Wimbledon match. For the most part, both in Canada and in Cincinnati, the women’s matches have been far more entertaining to watch.
Ol’man Fed has still got it!
@filter will not be happy……..
#Fedal
#CalledIt
You did but in 3
I called it in 2
If Daveed pushes it to a third, he might have a chance but I fancy Fed for the title because Daveed simply has no belief against him.
Why does Milos crumble so against Rafa, Novak and Fed and yet appear so big against the rest?
0-17, 6-38 in sets against current top 4
Novak doesn’t have it that easy against Milos, he usually struggles to beat him but Fed and Rafa take him apart. Rafa has even bagle him. The noise about Raonic, Dimi etc. should quieten down until they actually do something consistently.
RT@TennisReporters: “Reality check after Milos crushed Fed: ‘I served very poorly, that’s not going to get done. I have to figure out how to step up v top guys'”
I think TennisReporters meant to say: after Fed crushed Milos….
Hey Milos, Fed is not a top guy anymore for crying out loud……………..
Hmmm. Wonder when the last time was that both men in a Masters 1000 final were 30+ years old. I’m sure someone will research it, if they haven’t already. I was thinking maybe Sampras vs Agassi IW 2001, but then I checked Pete’s dob and he was still 29. Andre was a month shy of 31.
https://tenngrand.com/2014/08/17/cincinnati-final-preview-and-pick-bryan-and-bryan-vs-pospisil-and-sock/
Chapeau Federer, A classic master class but not exactly exciting to watch. He completely neutralised every aspect of the Raonic game.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Hawkeye I have to say my heart sinks at the thought of watching Raonic strolling lethargically around the court with that impassive expression on his face. I wish Ljubicic would work on his body language and persuade him to inject just a little animation and enthusiasm.
RT @juanjosetennis: “Raonic exemplifies the ATP paradigm that RF obliterated when he started his rise 11 years ago.”
Ouch! Don’t shoot me @hawkeye63. I am just the messenger……….
#Weakerahangover
Another one for good measure………
RT @juanjosetennis: “Both, really. RT @StephintheUS: Missed or miss? RT @(me) For those of u who missed watching RF owning Roddick, u can now watch RF own Raonic”
And last one for the road……..
RT @juanjosetennis: “Note to Milos Raonic: hitting passing shots is not really about power – all about spin and placement. Ball has to dip.”
#Hewilllearn