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Australian Open: Simona Halep overwhelms Anett Kontaveit to make semi-finals

  • Posted: Jan 29, 2020
2020 Australian Open
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 20 January to 2 February
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and online; Live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app; Watch highlights on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Simona Halep brilliantly took apart Anett Kontaveit in just 53 minutes to race into the Australian Open semi-finals.

Estonian Kontaveit won the first game but was never in it from that point as Halep raced to a 6-1 6-1 win.

Wimbledon champion Halep won 11 games in a row before the 28th seed managed to hold serve in the penultimate game.

The Romanian will face Garbine Muguruza or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last four in Melbourne.

“I felt great on court. I feel strong in my legs and I knew how to play against her. I was focused in every point I played,” said Halep.

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Upcoming ATP Challenger Tour Events In China Cancelled

  • Posted: Jan 28, 2020

Upcoming ATP Challenger Tour Events In China Cancelled

ATP to continue to monitor situation

The ATP announced today that the following ATP Challenger Tour events in China have been cancelled due to the recent coronavirus outbreak:

  • Qujing CH 50 (Week of 2 March 2020)
  • Zhuhai CH 80 (Week of 9 March 2020)
  • Shenzhen CH 90 (Week of 16 March 2020)
  • Zhangjiagang CH 80 (Week of 23 March 2020)
  • The ATP will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in China and will communicate the possibility of rescheduling these events later in the year.

    Presently, the following scheduled events remain on the 2020 ATP Challenger Tour calendar: Taipei CH 125 (Week of 30 March 2020), Nanchang CH 80 (Week of 6 April 2020), Changsha CH 80 (Week of 13 April 2020), Anning CH 125 (Week of 20 April 2020).

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    A Trip Through The New Life of Nicolas Massu

    • Posted: Jan 28, 2020

    A Trip Through The New Life of Nicolas Massu

    Chilean analyses his time as Thiem’s coach

    Nicolas Massu is in no doubt; Dominic Thiem, whom he has been coaching for almost a year, is ready for the challenge of facing Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open.

    The meeting takes place on Wednesday night at Rod Laver Arena as both men attempt to book their place in the semi-finals of the year’s first Grand Slam.

    During the build-up, Massu sat down with ATPTour.com to discuss his time in the World No. 5’s box.

    How was the preseason?
    He had a good pre-season. Twenty one days in Miami and almost two weeks on the Gold Coast. In Miami, we worked hard on fitness. It’s a very good city for the pre-season because of the weather at that time of year, and there were a lot of players too. Then, on the Gold Coast, we put more emphasis on tennis.

    The two players we chose for the pre-season were very good. We arrived in Australia on 20 December, we’ve been here for five or six weeks. Dominic wanted to do it like that this season and it’s been good so far.

    As a player, you always try to be motivated. Obviously, he has the capacity to work very hard. He always wants to improve and is always prepared to do so. Those of us who surround him, his team and family, try to help him. The important thing is that Dominic is keen and he listens, which is key.

    From the outside it seems that you two get on very well.
    We come from different cultures and have different nationalities, but we understand each other very well. When the results are positive everything is easier, but the most important thing is believing in the work you’re doing.

    I’m here to help him, and I’m really excited about doing it too. I liked pressure as a player and now I like the adrenaline of being a coach, that’s why I’ve started this new phase [of my career]. These are sensations you can only get from sport. I had both sides, as a player and a coach, and I enjoy them equally.

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    Why do you two click?
    We’re both of similar ages. I’ve played many of the players that are still on Tour today. I have an up-to-date vision of tennis and I try to transmit my experience to him. You do have to know the player you’re coaching. I had one style of tennis and Dominic has another, but at the end of the day we’re both motivated to keep doing great things, he as a player and I as a coach.

    We share a lot of time together and not just on the court. We met at the Buenos Aires tournament and from there we’ve practically been together all the time. Luckily, we’ve had a very good relationship in terms of respect and we also see tennis in a similar way.

    Carlos Moyà said the other day that “when it comes to talking to a professional player, it’s very important to find the right moment.”
    As I was a player, and I was on Tour for so many years, I learned a lot about how to manage those spaces. With Thiem, I try to manage it like this: sometimes I’m more on top of him, sometimes I have more distance. The same in matches, being more communicative and euphoric or quieter. You get that from all the years on Tour. It also depends on the player’s personality.

    In any case, he is the important person and it’s something vital you have to understand. When you’re a player, everything revolves around you. Now, when you finish that phase [of your career], and for example you become a coach, you have to accept that role. I’ve learnt that the main person is the player.

    So you agree with the importance of communication.
    I’ve been with him for almost one year and now we know each other much better. You need that period of getting to know one another in order to understand things a little. The results help, of course. Winning Indian Wells when we’d been together for three weeks is a way of confirming that we’re doing the right things, but you don’t always have positive results.

    You have to have the clarity of mind to know that there are triumphs, but also defeats. A tennis player’s career is very long. Now I know Thiem better, I have a better idea of when I can talk to him. The most important thing is that a person is open to dialogue, very respectful and has a lot of humility. I’m happy about how great a player he is, but above all about the way he is as a person.

    Is it time to stop pigeon-holing him as a clay-court player?
    When I started playing, I also did it on clay because in Chile we don’t have hard or indoor courts. I grew up on clay and was very consistent on the surface throughout my career, but my biggest results were on fast courts.

    Before becoming his coach, I also saw Thiem and I loved how he played. I was convinced that he could play just as well on any surface because time gives you more experience and you understand tennis better. The little details make a big difference. And one thing is very clear; getting a good result helps you believe that it’s possible.

    <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/dominic-thiem/tb69/overview'>Dominic Thiem</a> <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/australian-open/580/overview'>Australian Open</a> 2020 Thursday

    But his big results have been on clay.
    His big results have been on clay, yes, but if we look back we can see that he lost to Nadal in the quarter-finals of the US Open in a great match, he won a title on grass, he’s won big matches on hard courts… I think winning Indian Wells was very important to him because it was his first ATP Masters 1000 and that helped him gain confidence to win other titles on fast courts. He nearly won the Nitto ATP Finals, now he’s in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

    And playing very well.
    Credit to him; he’s spectacularly talented, he has great shots, unique power and he’s extraordinarily intense in his work. He’s a tennis player with great desire and at a good age. He just turned 26. He’s still very young, but at the same time he’s been on Tour for several years and he has that experience. He has a very important future ahead of him and, of course, he has the chance to keep doing things, but the most important thing is that desire.

    So, is he ready to win a Grand Slam?
    I think it could happen at any time, now or within a few years. There are other players that are in a similar situation, but I know that Dominic works to make the most of that chance if the time comes, as it did with me at the Olympic Games. I always wanted to win something important; a Grand Slam, the Davis Cup, the gold medal, to be World No. 1…

    I got some things and others I didn’t, but I always told myself that if the opportunity came up, I had to be ready to make the most of it, not wait for it to happen by chance. And Dominic is in that process; he works with the expectation of that moment coming so that he can grab it with both hands.

    Rafael Nadal awaits him in the quarter-finals. Two years ago, in the same round of the US Open, the winner was decided in a fifth-set tie-break.
    I analyse everything. I see a lot of videos and I draw conclusions from the training sessions. Everyone knows each other on Tour, apart from when a new player comes along and you have to get everything out of your game to give you that advantage. The US Open match is important, but it was nearly two years ago and things have happened.

    Last season, they met twice and the spoils were shared in Barcelona and at Roland Garros. It’s going to be a significant challenge. When you’re in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam it means you’re in the important rounds and that anything can happen. It’ll be a great match for the fans and also for them. They get on well, they have a lot of respect for one another and normally they have incredible matches.

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    Are they the two most intense players on the ATP Tour?
    That’s what everyone says. Those two are among the three or four most intense players, that’s for sure. Someone else may have a similar intensity, but different at the same time because their game is a little freer.

    If we’re talking about the intensity with which the ball comes back… The other day they trained at Rod Laver Arena and both of them were producing a spectacular ball speed, the way the ball travelled from one side to the other. That’s why when they meet they tend to produce great matches, because they’re very solid.

    What do you like most about Nadal?
    I’ve always said it, Rafa is a role model for all the kids. Anyone who sees how he dedicates himself to the sport, the passion he puts in, his mentality… The new generations understand that tennis is not just talent, it’s also hard work. I love how great he is on court, but above all off of it.

    He’s a sportsman with a spectacular legacy. And he has one of the best heads in the history of world sport, fighting from the first point until the last and giving it everything he has. We know that we’ll have to throw everything into it, Dominic is clear on that. He is also a fighter, he always wants more, to keep pushing forward… that’s why it will be a great match.

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    Lapthorne leads British challenge at Australian Open Wheelchair Championships

    • Posted: Jan 28, 2020
    2020 Australian Open
    Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 20 January to 2 February
    Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and online; Live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app; Watch highlights on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

    Andy Lapthorne heads the British challenge at the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships in Melbourne.

    The men’s quad singles world number one plays his American doubles partner David Wagner in his opening match of the round-robin format on Wednesday.

    Reigning US Open champion Alfie Hewett competes in the wheelchair singles, as does Gordon Reid, the 2016 winner.

    Jordanne Whiley returns to Australia for the first time since 2016 after making a comeback from maternity leave.

    “It’s our son’s second birthday this week and I’m gutted to be away for that,” said the 27-year-old Englishwoman. “I’m aiming for the semi-finals,”

    The 27-year-old will play world number two Yui Kamiji of Japan in the women’s singles before they pair team up for the doubles, having won the doubles titles in 2014 and 2015.

    Australian Dylan Alcott is looking to win a sixth straight quad singles title and third consecutive doubles title with Heath Davidson.

    They will play Lapthorne and Wagner, who are chasing a fourth Australian title, in a straight final on Thursday.

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    Kiki Bertens column: Australian Open run gives optimism for French Open

    • Posted: Jan 28, 2020

    Kiki Bertens is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column. In her final piece at the Australian Open, the Dutch ninth seed discusses her fourth-round exit to Garbine Muguruza, why she has added motivation going into her favourite Slam at the French Open and solving puzzles in escape room games.

    Starting the new season by reaching the last 16 at the Australian Open makes me very positive for the year ahead, even though I’m bitterly disappointed not to go further.

    Last year I didn’t get the results in the Grand Slams that I hoped for, I didn’t get past the third round at any of the four majors.

    This was my best run at Melbourne and my best run on a hard court Slam.

    So, even after losing to Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round, I will take these things as a big positive.

    We have a lot of tournaments to go before the next Slam – the French Open at the end of May – but I am already looking forward to that because clay is my natural surface.

    I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself at Roland Garros, but I have added motivation after what happened there last year.

    I was the fourth seed and playing really well going into the tournament, having won the Madrid Open and also reaching the semi-finals in Rome and Stuttgart.

    Then I woke up at 3am on the morning before my second-round match and was vomiting all morning before I played Viktoria Kuzmova.

    I tried to play but I had no energy and had to retire after four games.

    Things like that show you never know what is going to happen over a long two weeks at a Slam.

    Of course, I try to do my best every single week and every single tournament but I love playing on clay so Roland Garros is my favourite Grand Slam.

    But first I have the Fed Cup to play with the Dutch team and then I go to St Petersburg to defend my title.

    So there is a lot to focus on first!

    ‘I wasn’t allowed to play my best by Garbine’

    A loss is always tough on me, so of course I am disappointed at losing to Garbine. I didn’t play my best.

    Garbine played a really good match and her levels were very high, which meant I wasn’t allowed to play my best.

    She put so much pressure on me in every single game, even my service games, and her returns were really good.

    That meant I had to play more aggressively and then I made too many mistakes.

    But I had to play this way because otherwise she could step in on every single shot and she did that really well.

    I didn’t really have the balance right. Sometimes I wasn’t aggressive enough and she could step in. Then the next point I was saying ‘I have to do it more’ but then that led to mistakes.

    I was really searching for the right balance but that was not there.

    I broke at the start of the first set but against Garbine you also know when you have a break against her it sometimes doesn’t really matter.

    It is always tough to back those breaks up because you know her returns are so good that so she puts so much pressure on every one of your service games.

    Other than that game and the second game of the second set when I broke back, she didn’t give much away on her serve.

    Her first-serve percentage was pretty high and I could not really see where the serve was going. Her variety was very good and it was tough to read.

    I hate losing tennis matches, I hate losing in everything I do.

    But when I look back overall at the Australian swing I can be happy. I played some really good matches in Brisbane too so I’m going home to the Netherlands feeling positive and ready for the Fed Cup.

    ‘The strength of depth on the tour is incredible’

    I’m not sure how close to her best Garbine is but she is playing really well.

    We will see if she is able to sustain her form but we know she is capable of doing it over two weeks at a Grand Slam having won Roland Garros in 2016 and Wimbledon a year later.

    However, things can change so quickly for a player – especially at a Slam.

    I’m not sure if she is the favourite or not. It is still wide open.

    That’s reflective of the strength in depth of the women’s game, you can see that over the past two years because we’ve had so many different winners of tournaments.

    It’s incredible. Every tournament anyone can win. So that means I couldn’t pick a winner here!

    Escape rooms and coffee chats – how I relax in Melbourne

    As I told you in one of my earlier columns, I love doing escape rooms and we finally managed to play before I left Melbourne!

    It’s a game where you’re in a hidden room and have to solve a number of puzzles within a certain amount of time to ‘escape’.

    We had two teams – the girls against the guys – and we won! We only had two minutes left after 15 minutes in there so we were really excited we did it just in time.

    Our team included Julia Gorges, the German player who is one of my best friends on the tour, Dutch doubles player Demi Schuurs and my coach Elise Tamaela. On the guys side was my husband Remko and some of our other Dutch and Belgian friends.

    I love games so we always play cards and board games to relax when we’re on tour. I’m competitive with everything I do!

    So that’s the same with the escape rooms, I love the competitive part of it and I like to solve puzzles.

    Most of the time I do escape from the room!

    Other than that, Julia and I also like to catch up over coffee – and there are plenty of cool coffee places in Melbourne.

    It is a shame I won’t be here for the rest of week to experience the city more but I’m looking forward to coming back next year.

    Kiki Bertens was talking to BBC Sport’s Jonathan Jurejko at Melbourne Park.

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    Raonic Positive About Future After Melbourne Exit

    • Posted: Jan 28, 2020

    Raonic Positive About Future After Melbourne Exit

    By training differently, Canadian hopes for improved fitness

    Milos Raonic remained positive, but admitted his surprise at the cooler conditions on Tuesday night, when he lost to seven-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(1) in two hours and 49 minutes.

    “Overall, there has been a lot of positive things for me this week,” said Raonic, who reached his fourth quarter-final (or better) at the first Grand Slam championship of the season. “I think that’s where my focus is at.

    “Today was a tough match. I knew it was going to be tough. I knew I was going to have to do things well. The conditions were tough. It was one of the first times, I think really, that I’ve played here, definitely at this tournament, when it’s this cold in the evening. So it made it a little bit slower. I knew that was going to be a challenge. But I just tried to make the best of it. He was just too good.”

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    Former World No. 3 Raonic, who began the tournament at No. 35 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after a series of injuries in 2019, admitted, “I think I came in with sort of the wrong game plan. I think I needed to mix up speeds a little bit more. I think I was trying to play through him a little bit too much at the beginning.

    “[With Novak and] all the other top guys, once they can get into a groove, get their balance behind them, things get more difficult. He was in a lot of my service games. I was sort of holding on. But eventually at one point he found an opening. I think I needed to execute a little bit better, maybe go in with a different approach.”

    Raonic, the No. 32 seed, beat Lorenzo Giustino, Cristian Garin, No. 6 seed and last year’s semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and 2018 finalist Marin Cilic en route to this year’s quarter-finals at Melbourne Park. He hit 48 winners, including 18 aces on Tuesday against Djokovic, but dropped to 0-10 lifetime against the Serbian star.

    Having overcome back, right knee and hip injuries in 2019, the Canadian has started to train differently in the new season.

    “You try to do different things [and] try to find solutions,” said Raonic. “You try to find a way to stay healthy, to be able to consistently play. Sometimes things work. Sometimes they don’t… You can’t really know until you go through it. I’ve been training a different way. Hopefully that gives me the freedom to play and I can be playing week after week, finishing tournaments healthy. Then not think about much more than getting to the next one and preparing as best as I can for it.”

    The 29-year-old is next expected to compete at the New York Open, which begins on 10 February.

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    Federer saves seven match points in quarter-final victory

    • Posted: Jan 28, 2020
    2020 Australian Open
    Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 20 January to 2 February
    Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and online; Live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app; Watch highlights on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

    Roger Federer defied age and logic once again to save seven match points before beating unseeded American Tennys Sandgren in a sensational Australian Open quarter-final.

    The out-of-sorts Swiss fought off form and fitness concerns before winning 6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-3.

    World number 100 Sandgren looked set to be the lowest ranked player to reach the Melbourne semi-finals since 1991.

    But third seed Federer battled to win in three hours and 28 minutes.

    The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who had a medical timeout in the third set for a groin problem, will play Serbia’s defending champion Novak Djokovic or Canadian 32nd seed Milos Raonic in the last four.

    Federer calmly raised his racquet in the air, taking the acclaim of a buzzing crowd on Rod Laver Arena, after Sandgren dumped a forehand into the net on the Swiss’ first match point.

    The fatigued pair shook hands at the net, Sandgren wishing his rival luck before trudging off to a standing ovation from the 15,000 fans barely able to believe what they had seen.

    “You’ve got to get lucky sometimes I tell you that,” Federer said. “Sometimes you’re not under control.

    “I just hoped he wouldn’t smash a winner, just keep the ball in play and if he does miss one of two then see what is going through his mind.

    “As the match went on I felt better and the pressure went away.

    “I didn’t deserve this one but I’m standing here and I’m obviously very happy.”

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    Federer hangs tough again

    With 38-year-old Federer well into the twilight of his career, he has to carefully manage his workload to preserve himself for the things which matter most: the Grand Slams.

    And that appears to have worked in his favour as he came through another gruelling match at Melbourne Park after being on the brink of defeat.

    Federer had not played since the ATP Finals in November, save for a few exhibitions in Central and South America, and has been helped by a favourable draw at Melbourne Park.

    All four of his matches have been against unseeded players, although they did not all prove to be as straightforward as he would have hoped.

    Only a fightback from 8-4 in the 10-point match tie-break against Australian John Millman stopped him falling in the third round.

    In the next round he was pushed by Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics before winning in four.

    Again he was a shadow of himself for most of the contest against Sandgren before rediscovering his best form when it mattered most.

    After a fairly routine opening set, Federer’s level dipped considerably as his unforced error count more than doubled in the second and mistakes continued to flow off his racquet in the third where he had treatment for a groin injury when trailing 3-0.

    The six-time champion – and the pro-Federer crowd – became increasingly edgy. Sandgren grew in confidence.

    But once Federer overcame his injury, he improved considerably in the fourth and dominated in the fifth to earn another memorable victory.

    “My groin and leg started to tighten and I struggled in defence,” said Federer who has never retired during a career which has seen him play 1,512 matches.

    “I don’t like to call the trainer because it is a sign of weakness. The best thing with the groin is you go off court and people don’t know what it is.

    “I believe in miracles, there could be rain, there could be other stuff. It wasn’t bad enough where thought it would get worse, just sore.

    Sandgren made to pay for missed chances

    While Federer was off-colour for long spells, Sandgren looked to capitalise with big serving and booming groundstrokes.

    The American thumped down 27 aces and cracked 73 winners, but it was still not enough to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.

    The magnitude of what he was on the verge of achieving suddenly dawned on him when his first three match points arrived at 5-4 in the fourth set on Federer’s serve.

    All three disappeared as a result of unforced errors from the American’s racquet, with Federer keeping himself in the rallies, putting balls back into the court to see if his opponent would crack.

    Another four match points came Sandgren’s way in the tie-break, but two more unforced errors ended energy-sapping rallies, either side of a missed backhand and then a wonderful volley from Federer.

    From that point Sandgren was, seemingly, overcome by mental doubt and physical strain. He never recovered.

    “I thought l would let him finish me off in style and he didn’t do that. I was incredibly lucky,” Federer said.

    More to follow.

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    Live: Federer Saves 7 M.P. & Forces Fifth Set With Sandgren

    • Posted: Jan 28, 2020

    Live: Federer Saves 7 M.P. & Forces Fifth Set With Sandgren

    Quarter-final clash underway on Tuesday

    Roger Federer holds a perfect (14-0) record in Australian Open quarter-finals and is now one set away from maintaining his unbeaten streak. The third seed fought back from the brink of defeat, erasing seven match points to even the score with Tennys Sandgren at 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(8) in their epic clash on Tuesday.

    The winner of this match will meet second-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic or No. 32 seed Milos Raonic of Canada. Sandgren has never played Raonic and lost both of his previous ATP Head2Head meetings with Djokovic in Grand Slams (2018 Wimbledon & US Open).

    Federer trails Djokovic 23-26 in their ATP Head2Head rivalry and has lost their past three matches in Melbourne, all of which took place in the semi-finals (2008, 2011, 2016). The Swiss leads Raonic 11-3 in their ATP Head2Head series and won their lone clash at this event in 2013. 

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    Federer applied pressure from the first ball in the opening set. Sandgren erased a pair of break points in his first service game, then fought back from 0/40 two games later. But Federer kept knocking on the door and it opened at 3-2, with the six-time champion securing a break after Sandgren sent a backhand long. He maintained his slight advantage and cracked a first serve on set point to take the early lead.

    The Swiss has been prone to streaks of unforced errors this fortnight and endured another spell of them early in the second set. With Sandgren using his outstanding speed to make Federer play one more ball, the 28-year-old tracked down a deep forehand on break point at 1-0 and floated up a high lob, drawing a smash error from the Federer to grab his first break of the day.

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    Federer struggled to find the range on his shots, hitting 15 unforced errors throughout the second set. Serving at 2-5, the third seed’s backhand hit the top of the tape on set point and allowed Sandgren to level the match.

    The unseeded American scored another break against the Swiss to lead 2-0 in the third set, causing the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena to gasp in unison. With the prospect of a maiden Grand Slam semi-final becoming more realistic, Sandgren blocked out any signs of nerves and remained calm.

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    Facing triple break point at 2/0, he unleashed a series of booming serves and eventually held. Sandgren continued to increase his first-serve percentage, beefing it up from 46 per cent in the first set to 70 per cent in the third set.

    Federer left the court for a medical timeout at 3-0, but it didn’t change Sandgren’s dominance on serve. Most of his aces came in the Ad court, but he also consistently pushed the Swiss out wide to his forehand in the Deuce court, setting up one-two punches to keep the points short.

    Although Federer’s movement appeared to be hampered, he continued to fight for every point. He bravely erased five set points on his serve at 5-2, but Sandgren converted his sixth chance after a Federer backhand found the net. Sandgren pumped his fist at his team as he moved closer to a career-defining win.

    Read More: Why Sandgren Won’t Take His Shot At Federer For Granted

    Both players traded comfortable service holds in the fourth set until Sandgren reached match point with Federer serving at 4-5. But the prospect of defeating the six-time champion suddenly showed in the American’s groundstrokes, with three match point opportunities vanishing due to nervy errors. Federer eventually held with a forehand winner and brought the crowd to their feet.

    Sandgren remained calm and erased a break point at 5-5 to keep himself out in front. The set eventually moved to a tie-break and it was Federer who blinked first, hitting a loose forehand to give the American a 4/3 mini-break advantage. Another three match points came Sandgren’s way at 6/3, but the Swiss shockingly erased all of them and leveled the score at 6/5 with a swinging forehand volley winner.

    A seventh match point came and went at 7/6 after Sandgren hit a slice backhand into the net. Federer, at long last, earned a set point of his own at 8/7, but the American quickly removed it with an ace. Federer secured a 9/8 mini-break lead after the American pulled a forehand wide and brought the match to a decider after Sandgren sent a smash from the baseline well long.

    More to come…

     

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