Roger Federer will continue his Miami campaign and try to maintain his hot streak when he faces Tomas Berdych during quarterfinal action on Thursday. Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev are also one step away from the semis.
(4) Roger Federer vs. (10) Tomas Berdych
Federer and Berdych will be squaring off for the 24th time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Miami Open semifinals on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 17-6 in favor of Federer, who has won six in a row at Berdych’s expense since losing two straight to the Czech in 2012 (U.S. Open) and 2013 (Dubai). The 35-year-old Swiss has also taken 14 sets in succession against Berdych while needing a tiebreaker in only one of those 14. They most recently collided at the Australian Open two months ago, when Federer cruised through a third-round affair 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Based on how well Federer is playing right now, there is no reason to think the tide will suddenly turn. The 18-time Grand Slam champion triumphed Down Under and also captured the Indian Wells title. He is an amazing 16-1 this season following straight-set victories in Miami over Frances Tiafoe, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Roberto Bautista Agut. Berdych, on the other hand, needed a strong result this fortnight in the worst way. The 31-year-old had been just 10-5 in 2017 with no final appearances and he has plunged to No. 14 in the world. He arguably hit a low point in Indian Wells, where he squandered a 6-1, 6-2 advantage against Yoshihito Nishioka in the third round and lost in three sets. So far in Miami, however, Berdych has advanced with straight-set defeats of Andrey Rublev, Gilles Muller, and Adrian Mannarino. A steep step up in competition should prove to be the 10th seed’s ouster.
Pick: Federer in 2 with no tiebreakers
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(16) Alexander Zverev vs. (12) Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios and Zverev will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time in as many tournaments when they meet again on Thursday. The two friends and occasional doubles partners just faced each other in Indian Wells, where Kyrgios cruised through a a third-round showdown 6-3, 6-4. The 16th-ranked Australian still has not lost since then, as his Indian Wells exit came via a quarterfinal walkover that he gave Federer because of illness. Kyrgios is 13-3 this season and 6-0 in his last six matches following Miami wins over Damir Dzumhur (6-4, 6-3), Ivo Karlovic (in a third-set tiebreaker), and David Goffin (7-6(5), 6-3).
Two years Kyrgios’ junior at 19, Zverev is not far behind at No. 20 in the rankings. The German has already captured one title in 2017 on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier and following a relative three-tournament slump he is back on track this fortnight with victories at the expense of Yen-Hsun Lu, John Isner, and No. 1 seed Stan Wawrinka. Zverev saved three match points to outlast Isner 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-6(5) and returned to the court one day later for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 upset of Wawrinka. This will undoubtedly be more competitive than what transpired in the California desert, but Kyrgios’ serve and baseline ball-striking at the moment are such that it is almost impossible to bet against him with anyone other than Federer on the other side of the net.
Pick: Kyrgios in 3
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Choke LOL.
HOW MANY TIMES!!!
6-6!! two MP saved. Tomas needs a second serve from Fed.
Tomas you let me believe.
Sayonara baby.
Congrats #GOAT2.0.
How many times! Poor Berdy…
Epic fail.
He never believed
Too funny.
Fedfawns are hilarious.
It’s fair to say,that was crowd pressure bringing about that DF. Pity.
Anyway, very clutch from Federer. This is what confidence can do for you!
Will have to see the tape when I get home, but did Fed play clutch there at the end or did Berdych choke?
Whaaaaa?
Great match though.
Tennis the way it was meant to be played. Match points excepted.
Did Fed epically choke serving for the match? Or did Berdych hit a bunch of winners?
Berdy just zoned in the moment with nothing to lose having lost so many times.
No I wouldn’t call it a choke. Let’s show respect to Berdych. Yes that forehand at 6-5 was makable but wasn’t like a cake forehand. He was falling back and the return was a decent one. He should have made it though. Then Fed served really well but that DF was BAD. I think he stopped believing after losing the Match points.
It is so hard to believe that you can actually beat the top guys, especially when you’ve lost so many times in a row. But Tomas must have played a hell of a match from the second set.
I think he stopped believing once he earned two MPs.
When it mattered he tighten up! An ace would have won him the match in the TB when he was 6-4 up. If it’s Fed he would not miss it; when it mattered the most, Berdych would! This is choking regardless of how well he played the whole match.
That’s what makes him da #GOAT2.0!!!
Again couldn’t execute in the big moments when it was on his racquet but played lights out otherwise.
Double faulted on his second MP ?
Berdych is a big big choker! He had it on his racket when he was 6-4 up in the TB, but he had to miss an ace and then hit Fed’s second serve return into the net! He just couldn’t serve a good ace to finish the job, when in the previous game he served so well to hold!
What a big joker and choker!! Fed was gifting him with all those DFs and poor serves for him to level the match, and he had to lose the TB by a DF! Really hopeless when it mattered after playing so well! What’s the point?
Would have made a great Weak Era player.
Capitulation is everywhere.
Fed was so overconfident, and than when he let Berdych in the match he was not that eager to grind it out. There is no worries about Fed level dropping, he is just not fresh anymore.
Not surprising, at 35. And he’ll have to play again tomorrow, right?
Yeah but he’s still the only player who could be undefeated on hard courts in 2017 having already lost a match on hard court.
Fedfawn revisionism is hilarious!
Damn. Where’s Asif when you need him.
This is comedy gold!
Wow… Crazy. Welp, both our predictions are still hangin on! 🙂 How you feelin currently about your pick? Still confident?
Previous comment was directed toward Hawkeye…
I’m probably more confident than you are with your pick ?.
Between the two, my pick is still playing significantly better with more confidence.
It might surprise you to know that I am more confident in Rafa at this point. Rafa has no reason to not make the final. Fed will probably be pretty tired tomorrow and will be at risk of losing to Kyrgios/Zverev, and if Fed wins that one, he’ll be even that much more tired. I think that a Fed/Rafa final here in Miami could go either way now that Fed is more tired and less on point. So I’m actually more confident in Rafa at the moment. Are you more confident in Fed beating the young gun than in Rafa beating Fognini?
Fed has a day off and that will help a lot so I’d write any tiredness off after today.
He’ll get the evening match on Saturday so heat won’t be an issue.
Sascha won’t take much out of Fed. Fed would win on two losing less that eight.
Kyrgios won’t take much out of him either but he could actually win.
So I don’t see Fed being tired on Sunday.
Rafa will have to up his current level to win.
But it would be on Rafa’s racquet for what that’s worth. Not enough these days.
Huh, that’s weird. When I looked at the Miami website last night, it said that both men’s semis were tomorrow… I’m not sure which would be better, having a day off before his semifinal match, or having the day off before the final. After today’s match, he might want the day off tomorrow. But I feel like anyone would want a day off before the final. Well, there’s another reason I think Rafa can take this title- he’ll be better rested than the other guy!
both semis are tomorrow.
That could make a difference somewhat.
But #GOAT2.0 transcends the concept of age.
He’s unageable!!!!
You’re right, VR. So Fed will be tired tomorrow then… I actually think he’d rather have the day of before the final as opposed to before semi.
I hope that tennis journalists will whine at least a year that Berdych, who had 2 match points, did not win the match. They are still whining that Zverev, who had a match point against Rafa in Indian Wells last year, lost.
http://www.flashscore.com/match/WWMkQKV4/#point-by-point;3
(speaking of whining…) ?
Fed could definitely lose the semi. This match looked like it was really long but it was not even 2 hrs!! 1 hr 57 mins
Hypothetically yes. Technically no.
Nick seems to touch his knee again and again so he may well surrender to Federer like he did last time when he withdrew due to food poisoning
Nick will be tired himself
Journalists won’t whine as much about Berdych because he’s a thirty-something year old veteran who has lost when having match points before… It was such a big deal with Zverev because he was just a kid and almost beat one of the big 4. Berdych choking against an all-time great is not big news. 18 year old Sascha Zverev being one point away from beating an all-time great is big news. Shouldn’t surprise you, really.
Yeah but as much as I hate to admit it. Augusta’s right.
#EveryDogHasItsDay
#FederazziAreEverywhere
No surprise there, Hawks. 😉
#AllABigConspiracy
#AlexJones
No. Just excessive fawning ?
Don’t bait me.
#SeniorWhiteHouseOfficial
#FalseEquivalenciesAreEverywhere
You gotta be willing to take it if you’re gonna dish it, Hawks! 🙂
Not to suggest you’re NOT willing to take it, unlike this old guy I know on twitter, Washington D.C…
IN Washington D.C…. Ya know, I probably didn’t even need to add the “Washington D.C.” part, did I?
I’d have left a long long time ago if I couldn’t.
Allez
If someone hasn’t seen OOP for Friday, here it is:
http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2017/403/op.pdf
That must be for me!
#Someone
It’s time again for….
Fed?
Or PseudoFed.
RT @vgibertini: Fed:”On the last point i thought ‘wow, df, really Tomas? You are too nice, I don’t deserve this”#MiamiOpen
He was taking a chapter out of Toni’s coaching book.
#BeingPolite
#OnlyChoking
A chapter from another family’s book:
http://www.rogerfedererfans.com/forum/uploads/monthly_06_2012/post-37-0-77967000-1338927189.gif
Yet another of your made up stories about why he did that. ???
You’re absolutely nuts, Augusta… Did a Federer fan send you a meme of Rafa snapping at ball kids? Did a Federer fan break your heart at some point? I just can’t wrap my head around how someone could hate a person so much who has done nothing to you… All those pesky Fedfans who you claim to be so awful- do you realize that you are 100% exactly the same as them??
I’m sorry, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore… Aside from saying good things about Rafa, you strictly troll Federer and his fans! Nothing else! I’ve seen you go to the Roger Federer page, just to talk shit about him! It just boggles my mind. If you’re going to hate someone, at least hate someone who has done more than break a couple racquets and yell a couple times. You don’t have to like him, but why do you have to devote so much of your time on here just trolling and hating? Why do you think there aren’t more Federer fans who comment on here? It’s because they see endlessly trolling their favorite player, and they think they’re not welcome!
You, and the Federer fan versions of you, don’t seem to realize that your respective heroes would be sickened by your endless trolling of another player…. That’s all.
Well put Kevin. Hard to ignore.
But from personal experience, be careful. It’s like a potato chip. Hard to eat just one.
BTW, that’s her goal. She doesn’t WANT fans of other players here.
Don’t give her that wish. This site has lost too many good fans like yourself because of the childish comments and nothing original to say about tennis. Ever.
Rock on Kev.
Keep calm and Vamos Fed.
Vamos Fed AND Rafa! I’m sick of this either/or shit haha. They’re both incredible tennis players, role models, humanitarians, and all-around humans beings. Just give respect where it’s due. That’s all I’m saying. Thanks though, Hawks. 🙂
Ditto man.
Kevin,
All I can say is Bravo to your post at 1:15am! It needed to be said by someone who is new to this site and not caught up in the back and forth. It’s true that we have lost fans if other players just because of this kind of mean-spirited behavior.
I just hope you stay here and keep in posting! We need fans of Fed, Novak, Murray and many others. That is what makes for great discussions.
I think you are spot on in pointing out the petty attacks on Fed. We should be able to celebrate these two tennis greats. I have no doubt that Rafa would be appalled to read some of the churlish things said about Fed. He has great respect for Fed. Always has. Rafa is a class act. We should follow his example!
The poster AT 1:37 AM shouldn worry, he is capable of filling all the bandwagons alone, especially when trolling Rafa & and his team (with his “original thoughts”).
Totally agree with Hawkeye!
@kevin, spot on!
It’s a pity that a behaviour of few here have always discouraged fans of other players.
It is really nice to some new fed fans posting here. You, Joe smith some others. I really like reading thoughts from you and Joe as you are fed fans and perspective differ more so that’s great.
I have always failed to understand Augusta08’s hatred for Federer and Djokovic. On the contrary Rafa has so much respect for both of them and she has this most RIDICULOUS justification that rafa is only being polite !! what the…. LOL
I urge the fed fans to keep posting 🙂 You must all feel welcome.
AT 2:27 PM,
I keep failing to understand your “original thoughts” about other posters.
Lol. no, there is nothing for you to understand so you’re not failing at it. What you are failing at is being repetitive and you can’t help it.
As far are original thoughts are concerned, I try to post them on tennis and not posters.
AT 2:54 PM,
Keep trying not to post “original thoughts” on posters!
?
AT 3:39 PM,
Difference being is those are your ONLY “original thoughts” here. 100% vs <1% for VR.
#FalseEquivalenciesAreEverywhere
HOW the F*** does Kyrgios keep hitting those between the leg shots?? they are clean winners!! he is a super talented shot maker.
Youthful exhuberance.
Sad that if he reaches the top, he will lose this from his game the same way Nole lost his playful nature on and off the court and earned him his djoker nick.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
It’s also the other way around hawks. To reach the top, you need to be serious af. lol
Shhh. Don’t tell Nole.
And I didn’t say nick wasn’t serious.
He finally is.
But eventually he’ll become more serious and lose some of that personality which is probably a necessary evil and eventually a long term potential hindrance.
But don’t get me wrong. That’s still a couple of years away at best.