Federer overcomes injury, rival to win
Roger Federer was on the brink of exiting the Australian Open but fought back to reach another semifinal after overcoming Tennys Sandgren in a five-set thriller last night.
Federer saved seven match points in a dramatic fourth-set tiebreak, then levelled the match for a deciding set in their quarterfinal in Melbourne.
The first set was Federer’s, 6-3, but the American took out the next two handsomely, 6-2, 6-2, as the Swiss great struggled with a groin injury and took a medical timeout that lasted nine minutes.
Federer trailed 3-0 in the third against the unseeded American and, clearly rattled, he was uncharacteristically warned for an obscenity in a disastrous set.
Losing the tiebreak in the fourth seemed to crush Sandgren’s spirit as Federer rallied and won the final set 6-3 for victory.
Federer, who has won six Australian championships among his 20 major titles, eventually won 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) 6-3.
Federer will play either seventh-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic or No.
32 Milos Raonic.
The win earned the 38-year-old
20-times major champion a record-extending 46th grand slam semi-final appearance.
‘‘I think I got incredibly lucky today,’’ Federer said. ‘‘I don’t deserve this one but I’m standing here and I’m obviously very, very happy.
‘‘I was just hoping that he was not going to smash that winner on any particular match point.’’
In their first ever meeting, nerves got the better of journeyman Sandgren, who had never gone further than the quarterfinals in a major.
Bidding to become the first American male to make the final four in Melbourne since Andy Roddick back in 2009, the 28-yearold will have nightmares over his fourth-set chances.
Sandgren had three match points on Federer’s serve at 5-4 but was unable to find the winner with the set then going to a tiebreak.
It was locked at 3-3 when a ballkid bizarrely ran into Sandgren’s leg at the changeover, with the American taking time to walk off the blow.
Unrattled, he steamed ahead to lead 6-3 but again couldn’t close it out.
He had one final chance at 8-7 but Federer showed his poise to level and then clinch the set.
A deflated Sandgren was unable to lift in the fifth, with the Swiss breaking to go ahead 4-2 before sealing another victory.
Meanwhile Australian Ash Barty withstood a fierce challenge from Petra Kvitova to become the first local woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals in 36 years.
The steely-eyed world No.1 had to fight off eight break points in a tense first set before denying the free-hitting Czech 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 in a rematch of their 2019 quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena.
The first Australian to make the Open semi-finals since Wendy Turnbull in 1984, Barty will play American 14th seed Sofia Kenin tomorrow for a spot in Saturday night’s title decider.
Barty was helped when Kvitova double-faulted on break point in the seventh game of the second set, and Barty held serve in the next after saving two break points. She clinched the match with an ace. Kenin beat Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals at a major for the first time.