Despite a rousing reception of “I am Australian” from the bi-partisan crowd inside a packed Pat Rafter Arena, local hope Marinko Matosevic was unable to halt the progression of top seed Roger Federer.
The Brisbane top seed made light work of the Australian in their quarterfinal on Friday night, taking it 6-1 6-1 in less than an hour.
The local support did help Matosevic off to a flying start as he held two break points against Federer in the opening game, but after that it was simply one-way traffic.
The Swiss Master raced to a 5-0 lead with little fuss, before a tentative-looking Matosevic finally got himself on the scoreboard, raising his arms to a crowd who continued to throw their energy behind him.
Despite reaching for his back on several occasions – a complaint that hampered him slightly in the previous round – Matosevic appeared more composed as the second set began and glimpses of the man who reached as high as world No.39 last year began to appear.
In response, Federer simply raised his level once more, and after Matosevic held his opening serve, he never faltered, taking the match with six consecutive games.
Federer said afterwards that he felt it was a great match for him.
“I know it was tough for Marinko though,” he added. “But I hope he’s going to play well at the Australian Open.”
“I had a tough opening serving game, which I was able to save. After that, I got the break and things started to become more difficult for him.”
Federer also discussed playing an Aussie in front of such a diehard local fan base.
“By now we almost know each other because I’ve played so many Aussies over the course of my career,” he said. “In the end it’s all respectful and nice and I’m happy they’re out here supporting their players.”
Federer will next play eighth seed Jeremy Chardy in the semifinals on Saturday in the third match of the Pat Rafter Arena day session.
Despite having never played the Frenchman, Federer said that Chardy brings a big game to the court, especially with his serve and forehand.
“He plays very aggressive on the hard courts. He can really dictate play,” he said.
“I’ve got to be well-prepared.”
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