Shaking the rust against an inspired Australian wildcard last night, Roger Federer knows full well it was a lucky escape and is determined to get off to a better start when he returns to Pat Rafter Arena tonight.
Having battled past John Millman after being a set and a break down, Federer faces a second Aussie wildcard in as many nights, though this is a whole different prospect.
Where Millman was the baseline grinder, Duckworth opts for a more aggressive serve-volley foundation.
Duckworth himself survived a scare, fending match point against Jarkko Nieminen last night and while he was soundly beaten when he faced Federer on Rod Laver Arena last year, 12 months on, he is fitter, his backhand has improved and his serve continues to grow as a weapon. Whether it will be enough against a player who still holds an edge in every department remains to be seen, even with the home crowd lifting his level.
“He played a great match against Nieminen. He looked down and out for most of the match but fought his way through,” Federer said. “He can play free tennis, which is clearly dangerous, especially if he hits a big ball like he can.”
A new women’s champion will be crowned in 2015, with the four semifinalists vying for a debut final in the season-opening event.
Top seed Maria Sharapova has looked sharpest, selfishly dropping just five games total in her first two matches. She was cutting no slack in saying she’s not here to grind out tough matches and make things difficult for herself but is wary of the all-court game her Ukrainian opponent, 20-year-old Elina Svitolina, possesses. She does not expect a walk in the park. The fiery Svitolina produced a stirring comeback on Pat Rafter Arena yesterday, recovering from a set and a double break down to see off world No.9 Angelique Kerber. If Sharapova’s game is on like it has been in her first two matches, her superior firepower should prove the difference.
Having faced a set point at 5-0 down in the first set of her match with Kaia Kanepi last night, second seed Ana Ivanovic rode out a wave of momentum swings to book her second Brisbane International semifinal berth. Three years ago she lost to former world No.1 Kim Clijsters. This time, she is a strong favourite against the unheralded American lefty, Varvara Lepchenko. A Sharapova-Ivanovic final is on the cards.
Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge tipped Bernard Tomic to crack the top 15 by year’s end, given his improved conditioning and the focus he displayed in seeing off Sam Querrey and Thanasi Kokkinakis..
Despite hip surgeries stunting last season, Tomic still managed to a title in Bogota. There is no doubting the 22-year-old is fitter and moving better than at any stage in his fledgling rollercoaster career. Teeing off against No.2 seed, Kei Nishikori, though, will be the best test yet of just how far he has come.
The Japanese world No.5 was one of the standout improvers on tour last year, finishing the year in the top 10 for the first time and reaching his first grand slam singles final in New York.
Speed-wise, he runs rings around Tomic, and his explosiveness off both wings makes him one of the best strikers of the ball off the ground out there, but Tomic has the unorthodox variety and sudden bursts of power to create more than a few headaches for the 25-year-old. It is fair to expect 53rd-ranked Tomic to make a huge jump up the rankings this year if fully fit, however Nishikori will likely show he still has a way to go just yet.
A third Australian wildcard quarterfinalist, big-serving Sam Groth, said it was a little bit like playing himself when he faced Lukasz Kubot yesterday. He will be in for something similar today when two of the tour’s most prolific ace kings square off first up on Pat Rafter Arena.
Groth backed up his upset of defending champion and Davis Cup teammate Lleyton Hewitt against Kubot. Raonic’s firepower off the first delivery will be a more concentrated dose of his own medicine than what Kubot could deliver though.
Both are coming off their best seasons to date, but world No.85 Groth will start a rank-underdog against the Montenegro-born Canadian, whose year included a run to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros before going one further into the last four at Wimbledon. Though he went 0-3 in the season-ending championships, Raonic insists it has been his most productive off-season yet and is expected to book a semifinal berth against Kei Nishikori.