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Federer Sees Red

By Jacob Akindele
23 January 2015   |   5:36 pm
THE big news from Melbourne Park is the ouster of tournament second seeded player, Roger Federer by Andreas Seppi of Italy. Despite a gallant effort by the holder of 17 Grand Slam titles (five in Australia), the Italian came through in four sets 6-4; 7-6; 4-6; 7-6 to move into the fourth round.   One…

THE big news from Melbourne Park is the ouster of tournament second seeded player, Roger Federer by Andreas Seppi of Italy. Despite a gallant effort by the holder of 17 Grand Slam titles (five in Australia), the Italian came through in four sets 6-4; 7-6; 4-6; 7-6 to move into the fourth round.

  One service break was all it required for Andreas to take the first set. The second went into a tie break in which Roger led by four points to one. Roger got the first break of serve in the fifth game of the third set and he consolidated the lead with an easy service game in which he served an ace. 

  As in the entire match, Andreas served well going up 40-15 in the seventh game. When he missed a volley at game point, it gave some hope of another opportunity for Roger but the Italian sealed that with a service winner. Roger went down love-30 in the eighth game but leveled and hit an ace to game point, which he held. Seppi held his service but Roger served out the set at six games to four. The match had lasted a little over two hours.

  Seppi opened serving in the fourth set. Down love-15, he lofted a lob over net-charging Roger to level at 15-all. He double-faulted but hit a powerful serve to level. But Roger had a break point, which the Italian nullified before going up in advantage and taking the game. Roger lost the first point of his service in the set but hit an ace to go up 30-15, then at game point he hit a double-fault and the game went to deuce. 

  Roger fired a service winner (timed at 202kph) to go up in advantage and then sealed the game. The third game was quick, as Andreas did not drop a point. Roger followed in kind with an ace in the first point and took the 4th game. At 30-all in the fifth game, Roger chipped and charged the net on a second serve by Andreas, but the Italian passed him to go up 40-30 and then took the game. 

  Roger had a quick game in taking his serve to level at 3 games each. Seppi had another quick game, as did Roger in the 8th game. The ninth game was drawn out a bit but Andreas held to take a 5-4 lead. Roger won the next game without dropping a point and hitting an ace at game point. Andreas opened the eleventh game with an ace. 

  The twelfth game was a cliff-hanger. Roger opened within ace but lost the second point. At 30-all, Roger hit a double fault but leveled and went to game point but the game went to deuce. It took a second advantage point before took the game with a hard serve into Andreas’ body which he hit into the crowd. The set was to be decided by a tie break.

  Hope rose for Roger as he took the first point by breaking serve. But he lost his first service point. He held the next point but was broken. Seppi hit an ace to take the eighth point and Roger replied with a break with a backhand cross court winner. But Seppi broke Roger’s next serve to go match point which he held to win the tie break with a longing defensive forehand down the line that went past Roger at the net and landed on the baseline. The upset was sealed.

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