Service game key as Polansky faces Federer

Peter Polansky will meet Roger Federer for the second time Wednesday and he was asked what he remembered from their first meeting in the 2014 Rogers Cup in Toronto.

“I remember it went really, really quick,” said Polansky, who lost 6-0, 6-2, “I wish I were out there longer last time. I remember I played a pretty decent match against him. I looked at some highlights after the match and there were some really good points, but I lost every single one of them.

“I didn’t serve my best against him, which is tough because a guy like him is on the first ball and he’s putting you in danger,” the 29-year-old from Toronto said. “The key on Wednesday is to serve better like I did (Monday) to take a little pressure off my service games.”

Polansky, who has spent most of his career at the Challenger level, said Federer surprised him in their first meeting.

“I practised with him in Toronto and a few times here when I was younger and I recall playing a couple of practice points with him and I was pretty competitive in the points, but it was just practice. Then in 2014 when I played him, I went into the match with a certain mindset, but it ended up being completely wrong about how I thought he was going to play. He was much more aggressive, his intensity level was three or four notches higher, so now I have a little better idea of what I’m up against.”

Polansky reached the second round of the Rogers Cup for the third time in his career when he beat fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 6-2 Monday night. Pospisil, who reached the semifinals here in 2013, led 5-2 in the first set before his game fell apart.

“He was playing more solid than me from the baseline (and) I was making a few mistakes at the net,” Polansky said. “I told myself to relax, keep the ball deep and stay in the point. All of a sudden, I started making everything and he was overhitting. Things started breaking down (for him) but I think it was partially because I was putting a lot of pressure on him.”

Serving up a storm: Polansky said he’s better prepared to face Federer’s serve and hopes to get a break or two.

That’s a formidable task. Federer has won 92 per cent of his service games this year and that’s a career high. He’s also at career highs for first-serve points won (80 per cent), aces per match (10.1) and second-serve points won (60 per cent).