Quarter-final day 1 review

The first day of the quarter finals is wrapped up and there were some lovely gifts from the tennis Gods.The tennis review unwraps the pressies.

Tomas Berdych beats David Ferrer
It was quite the day for Tomas. In beating Ferrer he made his first Australian Open semi-final, became a member of an elite group who have made the semis of each slam and won his first match on the Rod Laver arena. He did it in some style, too. Ferrer is a tough match up for him, he has lost 8 of the 12 matches they have played, but Tomas played an uninhibited aggressive game to storm through the first set 6-1. Once Ferrer got used to Berdych’s pace, he played himself into the match but Tomas’ depth of shot and powerful ground-strokes were still too much for him and Berdych won the second set 6-4. In the third set, Ferrer caused Berdych the problems he has done so often, namely using those impressive legs of his to track down Berdych’s flat groundies and return them with angles away from the Czech, forcing him into error or coming in on the short balls to hit winners. Berdych dropped the third set but Ferrer’s bettering of him was short-lived as Berdych regrouped in the fourth set, breaking Ferrer and getting better and better as the set went on, hitting winners seemingly at will in the final games to take the match in four entertaining sets.

Li Na beats Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6–2
Since saving match point in her third round match with Safarova, Li Na has been on a roll, crushing Makarova to the loss of 2 games and then mauling Pennetta. Li Na raced into a 5-0 lead, was stalled a little as Pennetta began to go for broke, but it was not enough to prevent Li Na from building on her impressive Australian Open record. The Chinese took the first set 6-2 and then repeated the scoreline in the second to make her third semi-final in Melbourne in the last four years. Li Na’s clarity and positive attitude was evident in each and every game and playing like this one has to seriously wonder if her third final appearance is on the cards and whether it will be her luckiest.

E. Bouchard beats A. Ivanovic 5-7, 7-5, 6-2
This is Bouchard’s fourth Grand Slam appearance yet from watching her in this match you could be forgiven for thinking it was her fourteenth. Bouchard took on a formidable Ivanovic, a one set deficit and the distraction of an Ivanovic injury all in her stride. Hitting the ball with confidence and the heaviness of a title contender, Bouchard moved Ana around and stepped into the court on every short ball she got and whacked them away for winners. Ana’s defence was broken down as much as it seemed her body and her spirit were and Bouchard took the second and third sets to set up a semi-final with Li Na. Few women have made the semis of a slam so quickly, among them Venus Williams, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf. Sanchez-Vicario and Hingis, an elite group to be part of if ever there was one and a possible sign of things to come.

Stanislas Wawrinka beats Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7.
Stan got off to a slow start but once he found his range he led 2 sets to 1. Djokovic fought back in customary fashion to take the fourth but Stan played with the confidence and aggression needed to edge Djokovic out 9-7. It was a patchy thriller, both men hit 60 errors each, and a match characterised by the fact that Djokovic may have won more points, 161-153, but Stan won the points that mattered. Stan came back time and time again from 0-30 down on his serve, saved 5 break points and got the elusive break in the fifth. Interestingly, Djokovic came to the net more than Wawrinka and won more points with a 26/35 ration to Stan’s 20/30 but what made the difference was Wawrinka’s consistent striking the ball from inside the court and the pace of his flat strokes biting into the court. The Swiss was just all around more aggressive and the faster courts rewarded him with a win. The win ends Djokovic’s three year reign as Australian Champ and may start up Wawrinka’s career as Grand Slam winner.