Roger Federer takes on his Wimbledon vanquisher Kevin Anderson in the Miami quarterfinals on Thursday. A different generation will be squaring off in the other contest, as Denis Shapovalov battles Frances Tiafoe for a spot in the semis.
(4) Roger Federer vs. (6) Kevin Anderson
Kevin Anderson had to wait five long years to get his first and only win over Roger Federer. It came at the best possible moment–in the 2018 Wimbledon quarterfinals. He just edged the Swiss champion 13-11 in the fifth. It was back to business as usual for Federer at the ATP finals in November, as he defeated Anderson 6-4, 6-3.
Federer endured a relatively slow start to this season. He bowed out of the Australian Open to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round, but he has a title in Dubai and made the final in Indian Wells earlier this month. He has also worked his way into form in Miami, withstanding the mass exodus of top seeds (first Alexander Zverev (2), then Dominic Thiem (3) and Novak Djokovic (1) made their exits).
While Federer had to contend with No. 13 seed Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, Anderson has not yet faced a seeded player in Miami. The South African quietly made his way through the draw this week, but faces a much sterner test in Federer. With Federer enjoying great form at the moment, Anderson would need to serve out of his skin to make a dent in the 37-year-old’s game. Even still, the matchup doesn’t favor Anderson, as Federer is better in almost every facet of the game.
Cheryl pick: Federer in 2
Ricky pick: Federer in 2
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(20) Denis Shapovalov vs. (28) Frances Tiafoe
This is the pick of the men’s matches on Thursday. Canada’s Denis Shapovalov will take on American Frances Tiafoe in a battle of two of the new stars of the ATP tour. This will be their third meeting since 2018, with Tiafoe taking the first and Shapovalov the most recent one in Cincinnati.
Both men are playing fantastic tennis this fortnight. Tiafoe dispatched the likes of veteran David Ferrer and No. 18 seed David Goffin en route to the quarters. Shapovalov’s path to the last eight was even more impressive, with wins over Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Expect a hard-hitting cracker of a match. Both men have been positively crushing the ball in Miami, so there should be some dazzling exchange of groundstrokes.
Based on form, Shapovalov probably has the slight edge–but Tiafoe won’t go down without a fight on his home turf.
Cheryl pick: Shapovalov in 3
Ricky pick: Shapovalov in 2
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Andersen in 3. Federer just seems so vulnerable right now
Shapovalov in 3
Absolutely, Anderson knows he can beat him, Anderson is fresh after a break and Fed has played a lot of tennis past few weeks. Anderson will give Fed his biggest test thus far at Miami.
Tiafoe has beaten Kevin Anderson so he can beat Shapovalov
Anderson has beaten Fed and can beat him again.
However, all things considered, Fed and Shapo should both win.
Fed in 3
Shapo in 3
Anderson in 3; Tiafoe in 3.
Isner Beats FAA in 3; Anderson Beats Tiafoe in 3; and, we end up with a Anderson vs Isner final, and Anderson winning his first (and maybe the only Masters in his career). Ha ha, what an anti-climax that will be!
Seriously, I do agree with Big Al this time, that this Miami Open is not very exciting, we see young guns vs young guns, but with Djoko lackluster, Rafa and Delpo absent, there won’t be any exciting old guards vs young guns matches, maybe until Fed meets say Shapo or Tiafoe in the later round.
If the young guns can’t beat Fed the old man, then what’s so exciting about them? Kyrgios the supposedly most talented among the younger players, lost early as expected, Coric beat Kyrgios and lost his next match to a fellow youngster. Can FAA go all the way to the title match? We’ll see.
Shapo edged out Tsitsipas but can he beat another youngster Tiafoe, or will be follow Coric out of the tournament after a big win?
I think it’s the Fed fans who are getting excited because Fed is progressing well in the draw; Isner fans maybe getting their hopes up too as he reaches the later rounds. Maybe the neutral fans will be hoping for a FAA, a Shapo or a Tiafoe win here.
I think Shapovalov will win tomorrow. He is playing great tennis.
Despite the naysayers, there have been some great matches in this tournament, none better so far than Shapo-Tsitsipas imo. I expect another great one tomorrow between Shapo and Tiafoe, with Denis taking it in 3. Fed, on the other hand, I expect to cruise. He’s really starting to cook along, and I just don’t see Anderson giving him much trouble. Fed in 2.
Some? Maybe just one or two! The most disappointing was that Kyrgios vs Coric, followed by Djoko vs Agut.
If Kyrgios played his good to great tennis, he should’ve beaten Coric, and Djoko was really lacklustre here at Miami.
I don’t think Novak was particularly lackluster. Not at his best, obviously, but he didn’t play badly. He just got beat by a guy who played great on the day. Agree that Kyrgios was a disappointment. But Fed has had some good matches, as has Tiafoe and FAA.
I never really get into watching Isner, so wouldn’t mind if he lost. But on the whole I think the tournament has been really good, and I love the upsets.
Well, we can have our opinions, and I certainly won’t agree with you. In fact I find both IW and Miami not very exciting, as most of the top ten players were/are either missing or not playing well and lost early.
It’s not like their opponents played light out tennis to beat them, more their own undoings; it’s just like AO this year, when the four SFinalists of last year all lost before the QF (maybe Tsitsipas beating Fed was the only exception!).
The players Im missing most here are Thiem, Monfils ,Delpo and Nishikori , not the Big Four.Its not an issue for me if Fed doesn’t win this , though Id be very pleased if he does .
Ive never really liked Miami; coming so close after Indian Wells which is my favourite tournament outside the Slams, but the drama is picking up, the doubles semis were epic
Agree w/Joe…that Tpas vs Shapo was just all around great tennis….love both those “young guns”…..Fed in 2; Shapo in 3.
The odds against Anderson are too high, it’s like Fed is playing a rookie and Anderson is anything but that Fed is not playing flawless tennis and it’ll be a tighter match.
On the other side, who knows? Could go either way. I think Fed and Shap have the edge though.
You’ve been saying Fed hasn’t been very good, but I think he’s been great the last two matches. He’s serving extremely well, and has been sharp off the ground, good at the net. I think he’s playing near the top of his 37 year old game. It’s his tournament to lose at this point, imo.
What do you think he’s not doing well?
Shapo is playing fabulous tennis but Tiafoe staying with him so far, looking like a boxer out there. Gets his first break point on serve but Shapo comes up with a couple huge serves and FH to hold. Both guys need to work on their ROS.
I picked Shapo to win , but now Im rooting for Tiafoe , his game is easier on the eye. Wheres he been hiding this form?
Tiafoe takes the first set! He has really improved since the last time I saw him. He has ample power, incredible footspeed, and is hitting with good accuracy off both wings. He was slightly more consistent from the line, which is what was the difference, particularly in the TB.
Fed showing why he is the GOAT in this match, about to serve for the first set bagel. That point with both players at the net was insane.
I had forgotten until now that Anderson had been out for a while injured before this tournament. It’s pretty obvious in what I’m watching… Fed is playing well, of course, but Kevin just can’t get going. Also, outside of clay, this might just be the worst conditions for Kev. It’s cooled down, but humidity is up. The court is slow. They painted it horizontally, which makes it even slower. The wind is taken out of the equation in the stadium-within-a-stadium, making it feel like an indoor court which makes Fed feel more comfortable. However, Kevin has learned in the last year or two to up his level when he’s down, so we’ll see what he can do. But he definitely looks to me like a guy in his first tournament back since AO.
There’s just no way that one of the biggest and best servers on tour could potentially get double-bageled… It just can’t happen. 😂 Poor Kev. He’s just lost out there. Maybe Fed will just stop trying for a game to let him have one, similar to his 2014 WTF match against Murray?
I spoke too soon! Well done Kev!
I actually thought Fed let up a bit at the end of the 1st set today, and it reminded me of that Murray match. Once things got going in the 2nd, however, fed knew he was in a fight. Fortunately he didn’t lose focus.
Anderson obviously can play better, and he’s now starting to up his game a bit, winning his second service game. But Fed has been mostly at an insanely high level in this match. He looks so comfortable out there. he just has to keep focus and see this one out.
Anderson breaks! Fed needs to mix up some slices and drop shots. If he gets into a slug-fest and forgets about variety, he will have trouble.
Fed breaks back at 4-4 in a 14 minute game, now serves for the match. Looking forward to the first Fed-Shapo match.
All credit to Kevin Anderson for not giving up and coming back in the 2nd set to make it a match. He wasn’t at his best, but Fed played at an incredible level throughout. That he can continue to produce this tennis at 37 1/2 years of age is frankly ridiculous. Should be a great match-up tomorrow against Shapo!
Point of the year. Fed looks to be smiling mid-point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_TZkUCuHTg
Now THERES Natural Talent
I expected Fed in two, but not this easily. Another dominant performance from Roger, with some breathtaking tennis. Shapo hung in there, but was less than his best and just couldn’t impose his game. I honestly don’t think it would have mattered with Federer at this level.
I see a similar result for the final. Fed in two, with at most one tie-break (maybe none). If Fed can take down Isner tomorrow, he will be leading the race to London.