Angry Federer books spot in semifinals
Roger Federer MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA got cranky at the chair umpire for a technology flaw in his Australian Open quarter-final match, using the rare emotional outburst as motivation.
It helped. The 36-year-old Federer, now the oldest semifinalist in Melbourne in 41 years, beat longtime rival Tomas Berdych 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday and will next face 21-year-old Hyeon Chung, the first South Korean to reach a Grand Slam semifinal and the youngest to reach the last four at a major since 2010.
Federer had to overcome a shaky start, dropping his opening service game and uncharacteristically questioning chair umpire Fergus Murphy because of a technological fault.
With Berdych serving for the first set in the ninth game, Federer challenged a line call. After a lengthy delay, Murphy called the control room and confirmed the replay graphic couldn’t be displayed on the stadium screen, and the original decision stood. When he added Federer had no challenges remaining for the set, Federer approached the chair and the crowd cheers intensified.
“Yeah, but you can’t steal my challenge,” Federer told Murphy. “Do you feel comfortable with this? You’re OK with it?”
Seven points later, he broke Berdych to get back on serve, then won the tiebreaker.
“I had to get a bit lucky. A bit angry. A bit frustrated maybe at the umpire,” Federer said. “Anyway, glad to get out of that first set. It was key to the match.”
Chung beat 97th-ranked Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
The women’s semifinals were determined when top-ranked Simona Halep recovered from an early break to win nine straight games in a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 6 Karolina Pliskova, and 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber routed U.S. Open finalist Madison Keys. In the other semifinal match, No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki will play 22-year-old Elise Mertens.