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US Open 2015: Roger Federer & Stan Wawrinka win
US Open |
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, Dates: 31 August-13 September |
| Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches. |
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka will meet in an all-Swiss semi-final at the US Open after impressive wins over Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson.
Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer did not face a single break point as he beat Frenchman Gasquet 6-3 6-3 6-1 in just 87 minutes.
Wawrinka made almost as short work of Andy Murray’s conqueror Kevin Anderson, beating the South African 6-4 6-4 6-0.
Top seed Novak Djokovic will face holder Marin Cilic in the other semi.
Federer hopes to maintain home rule
TV host Jimmy Fallon (left) and pop star Justin Timberlake (right) danced to Beyonce’s hit All the Single Ladies during a changeover
Federer has won 16 of his 19 meetings with compatriot Wawrinka, but lost the most recent in this year’s French Open quarter-finals and found his wife’s courtside conduct called into question after a bad-tempered encounter at last year’s World Tour Finals in London.
However, he said he was relishing the chance to meet his friend and Davis Cup team-mate in the last four.
“Stan played a wonderful match against me in Paris,” he said.
“He can consistently bring the power on forehand, backhand, and serve out almost anybody when he gets hot.
“It is cool for us to have two Swiss in the semi-finals.”
Wawrinka finds form…as Anderson loses it
Wawrinka is aiming to win his third Grand Slam title after victories in the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open
Anderson’s win over Murray in the previous round was built on relentless aggression off the ground as well as his powerful serve, but he could not replicate those tactics against Wawrinka.
Anderson hit less than half the number of aces and less than a third of the number of winners that he managed against Murray.
By contrast, Wawrinka put together his most impressive performance of the tournament after making relatively heavy weather of beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Hyeon Chung in the opening rounds.
“Stan didn’t make it easy,” Anderson said.
“He was taking time away from me. He was swinging out and I was just a step slow.”
Ladies’ night in New York |
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| The two women’s quarter-finals on Wednesday’s order of play – Petra Kvitova v Flavia Pennetta and Victoria Azarenka v Simona Halep – last five hours and three minutes, dwarfing the three hours and 14 minutes spent on court by their male counterparts. |
| This year is the first since since 1982 that all four women’s
last-eight contests have gone the maximum distance. |
While Wawrinka said his relationship with Federer off the court was still good, he added his countryman’s demeanour on court had been changed by their increasingly competitive meetings.
“Before it was only me,” Wawrinka said. “I was nervous because I knew I wasn’t at his level, for sure.
“Now I think we can see that he was also nervous every time we play each other the past few years. That’s a big difference, because that shows how much he knows that I can play at his level.”
Quotes of the day
“Seeing all those big serves coming down meant I felt I had more time. ” Roger Federer says everything seems easier on return when compared to playing John Isner in the last round.
“I needed a shirt change after the fifth game the other night. Don’t think Roger changed his shirt all match.” John Isner returns the compliment on Twitter.
“Hopefully nine to 10 hours.” As well as clocking up time on the practice court, Federer advocates getting some serious sleeping done to reach the top.
BBC Sport