Federer cruises into an all-Swiss semi as Venus rolls back the years
ROGER Federer beat giantkiller Mischa Zverev to become the Australian Open’s oldest men’s semifinalist in nearly 40 years yesterday, as fellow veteran Venus Williams also rolled back the years.
The stylish Swiss made light of the challenge posed by German serve-volleyer Zverev, who stunned top seed Andy Murray in the fourth round, to reach a record-extending 41st Grand Slam semifinal.
Federer won 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 in just 92 minutes to set up a last-four clash with his compatriot Stan Wawrinka, who won a bad-tempered quarterfinal with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3.
The 35-year-old Federer becomes the tournament’s oldest semifinalist since Arthur Ashe in 1978, and the oldest at any Grand Slam since Jimmy Connors reached the 1991 US Open last four aged 39.
The draw has opened up invitingly for Federer, a four-time winner in Melbourne, and 2014 champion Wawrinka, as well as fellow thirtysomething Rafael Nadal after the exits of Murray and title-holder Novak Djokovic.
“I’m happy for [ Wawrinka] that he got this far, but he doesn’t need to go one step further,” Federer joked. “That’s enough.”
Vandeweghe stuns Muguruza
Earlier Wawrinka and France’s Tsonga, who have been at odds in the past, argued heatedly at the first-set changeover before the Swiss charged into his third Melbourne semifinal.
“In the semis I play Roger. It’s going to be tough to have some fans but I hope some people will cheer for me,” said Wawrinka, 31.
In the women’s draw, Williams’s age-defying campaign reached new heights as she beat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to become the oldest female Grand Slam semifinalist in 23 years.
Williams, 36, won 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to reach the last four without dropping a set and moves towards a possible ninth Grand Slam final against sister Serena, 16 years after their first.
“Why shouldn’t I?” said the seventime major-winner, who is thriving again after a battle with an autoimmune disorder, when asked if she could win her first major title since 2008.
“I try to believe. Should I look across the net and believe the person across the net deserves it more?
“This mentality is not how champions are made. I’d like to be a champion, in particular this year. The mentality I walk on court with is: ‘I deserve this.’”
Next up for Williams is her hardhitting, aggressive fellow American Coco Vandeweghe, who stunned French Open champion Garbine Muguruza to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.
The tall, powerful Vandeweghe smashed 31 winners past the Spaniard and raced through the second set in just 28 minutes to complete a lopsided 6-4, 6-0 upset win.
“It’s amazing to be in a semifinal. But, you know, not satisfying. I want to keep going, keep playing,” said the 25-year-old Vandeweghe, who is ranked 35th.
“There’s more things to do out on a tennis court that I’m hoping to achieve.”
Muguruza admitted she had been taken by surprise by Vandeweghe, despite her earlier wins over defending champion Angelique Kerber and Eugenie Bouchard.
Serena to face ‘contender’ Konta
“I was surprised. I think she played unbelievable. Three times we played in the past, she didn’t show this level,” Muguruza said. “She played very good. Her serve, her shots were there. She barely missed.”
Serena Williams knows she must be at her best to join sister Venus in the Australian Open semifinals, with a confident Johanna Konta determined to crash the party today.
The American’s unrelenting quest for a record 23rd Grand Slam title to surpass Steffi Graf and return to world No1 was tested by Barbora Strycova in round four, and Konta won’t be any easier.
The British ninth seed has set herself up as a genuine title contender with an impressive nine-match unbeaten streak after winning this month’s Sydney International.
Williams, chasing her seventh Australian title, is aware of the danger posed by Konta.
“I have watched her game a lot. She’s been doing really, really well, and she hasn’t lost yet this year,” she said. “She has a very attacking game. I know her game pretty well. I look forward to it.”
At stake is a semifinal with either comeback queen Mirjana LucicBaroni or fifth seed Czech Karolina Pliskova.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal knows he must find a way to defuse the booming serve of Milos Raonic today if he is to stay on course for a dream Australian Open final with Federer.
Thirty-year-old Nadal, who is a 14-time Grand Slam champion, first has to get past right-handed third seed Raonic, the highest-ranked player still standing in the men’s quarterfinals.
The Canadian, yet to win his first major title, suffered heartbreak in last year’s Melbourne semifinals when a groin injury put paid to his chances against Murray.
But he should pose Nadal his biggest problem yet in this year’s tournament, where the Spaniard is bidding to end a major title drought stretching back to the 2014 French Open.
The winner will face either Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov or Belgian David Goffin in the semifinal in the bottom half of the draw.