Roger picked up another routine victory in the 3rd round of the Paris Masters as he soundly defeated Richard Gasquet 62 64. It was very much like the match these two had last year in Paris, where Roger also won easily in straight sets. It is nice to see Roger feeling confident in his game. I still don't think there is a player as good as Roger when he is in full flow like he has been since Basel. His variety is unmatched and his knowledge, experience, and guile just give him an added edge that he uses to his advantage in this late stage in his career.
Roger next plays Juan Monaco in the quarterfinals, whom if you remember, Roger obliterated at the US Open a few months ago. It should be a straightforward match for Federer, and he should book a semifinal spot for the second straight year in a row in Paris after never having made the semis previously here. Good progress, really. Monaco is certainly a better opponent than Mardy Fish, who would be uber dangerous on this court against Roger, and it would probably be similar to the Cincinnati final from last year.
In other action yesterday, Andy Murray got through Andy Roddick with exceptional ease, though that is probably more that Roddick is far past his prime than anything else. As a fan of Roddick, I always enjoy watching him play, especially now in the twilight of his career. On the other side, Djokovic barely got through countryman Viktor Troicki once again. There is definitely something about Djokovic in that Troicki never wants to put his foot down and beat him. He had the glorious chance to last year at the US Open and failed, and it was similar here. I guess the dynamic is similar to the one that Wawrinka has with Federer, but even in that case, Stan has a win over Roger from Monte Carlo 2009.
As I'm writing this on Friday morning, Novak Djokovic pulled out of Paris, meaning that Tsonga gets through to the semis without lifting his racket. Jo now plays either Isner or Ferrer in the semifinals. On the other side, Andy Murray lost to Tomas Berdych in a close three-setter. I will speak more about Djokovic and Murray in my next post summing up the quarterfinal action, though.
Anyways, Roger looks for his 800th career match win against Monaco, and I hope he can get it done. It would be quite the massive achievement!
Kyle,
ReplyDeleteYou'll note that Troicki, in the all-important fifth game of the second set (tied 2-2), had a break point. Djokovic hit a ball that looked long, and both players hesitated for a bit right after Troicki reflexively flicked it back to Djokovic. Troicki should have challenged the call; he would have gotten the break for 3-2 when Hawkeye ruled the ball out. Instead, Troicki didn't challenge, Djokovic won the point, held for 3-2, and the rest is history.
Troicki is simply a mental midget. There's no other way to put it.
Keep up the solid analytical blogging! I'm enjoying it!
Shame too, because Troicki is one of those dangerous big hitters on tour. Unfortunately he just doesn't have it mentally, just like Verdasco, Monfils, Gasquet, and others.
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