Stan Wawrinka vs. Roger Federer may be the closest thing the ATP has to the match-up between Serena and Venus Williams. The two friends and Swiss teammates practiced together and ate lunch together in Monte Carlo on Sunday, then went out and fought each other in the final. It was the first match between the two since Wawrinka passed Federer for the top ranking in Switzerland earlier this year. Could he also pass him at the finish line and win his first title in the Principality before Federer won his? Like Serena and Venus, Wawrinka and Federer know each other’s plays, patterns, and predilections as well as they know their own. Today each of them tried to come out of the gate and break one of those patterns. Federer opened with some serve-and-volley surprises; he knew that Wawrinka typically chips his returns from both sides. It wasn’t a bad idea: Federer kept him off balance, and finished 26 of 36 at the net. At the same time, Stan began the match pulling the trigger early and firing his forehand from on top of the baseline; he knew he couldn’t let Federer, who had won 13 of their previous 14 matches, put him on the defensive. But Wawrinka pulled the trigger a little too early; after dropping a few bombs, he stared to misfire. Down break point at 2-2, he sent a backhand long. That was all Federer, who was pounding his approaches deep to Wawrinka’s one-handed backhand, needed to run out the first set, 6-4.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 11:09:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015