Australian Open: Djokovic Stuns Federer To Reach Final
Djokovic beats main favorite Federer to reach the AO final
Novak Djokovic needed three sets and three hours to overcome Roger Federer. The defending champion lost to third-seeded Serbian in straight sets, 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-4, and packed from Melbourne under a very warm crowd and cool night despite hitting more winners than his opponent.
Federer, the four-time winner of the Aussie major, was leading 5-2 in the second set when Djokovic came up with a very aggressive play that left the 29-year-old Swiss two games behind and conceding the round 7-5. The opener saw the two players going head-to-head until the tie-break. Djokovic, who insisted on Swiss’s one-handed backhand throughout the entire meeting, won the first set after grabbing three mini-breaks from a very confused Roger who couldn’t win but three points.
Second-seeded in Melbourne, Federer managed to take a three-game lead into the second set but only to be smashed by a very decided Djokovic who proved to be in great shape after winning five games in a row to make it 2-0. The 23-year-old Serbian has won just one grand slam in career, the 2008 Australian Open, being very close now to his second success under the Melbourne sun.
Djokovic broke the title favorite in the third game of the last set to claim even a 4-2 lead. Federer broke back in the eighth to level the score to four. But hardly did the ninth game started that the third seeder made it 5-4 to serve for a place into the big final.
Roger and Nadal left home, while Djokovic is to face either David Ferrer or Andy Murray in the last term. Federer committed 44 unforced errors in the semi final, while Djokvoic, who ended the meeting with six aces, committed just 35. Concerning the net-points, both players won 26 balls around that area. Federer, who hit five aces, had 35 winners, while Djokovic finished with 29. The Serbian won 119 points in total, eight more than the Swiss.
Said exhausted Djokovic: “It’s hard to say really, you don’t know if you’re feeling excited because you’re one game away from a Grand Slam title, and wining against Roger, he puts a lot of pressure on you. I had to take my chances, the second set I was a break up and in 20 minutes I was 5-2 down, if I would lose that second set, god knows which direction the mach would go.”
Federer is to pocket $420,000, while Djokovic has already secured a $1,100,000 check. The winner will get $2,200,000. The Swiss dominates Djokovic in the head-to-head confrontations. Federer beat him 13 times in 20 meetings, last occasion at the 2010 London World Tour Finals.
