The first semi of the day at the ATP 1000 event The Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, is Julien Benneteau, the unseeded Frenchman, ranked 41, who upset Stan Wawrinka, versus the 6th seed David Ferrer who beat Novak Djokovic’s conqueror Tommy Robredo.
This classic match-up of contrasting styles- Ferrer is an aggressive counterpuncher, Benneateau a serve and volley stylist- has played out on the ATP Tour nine times, and Ferrer just edges the head to head 5-4. On hard courts, Benneteau has a 3-2 advantage over the Spaniard.
Both men come into the match mentally tough after coming through three setters in their quarter-finals. Benneteau will be feeling especially confident after coming back after losing the first set 1-6 to beat Wawrinka.
But Ferrer will be feeling good, too, after his win over the in-form Robredo. After a bit of a slump this season, Ferrer has been getting his game back together, reaching the Hamburg final and now making this run.
Ferrer will draw on all his experience at the top level of tennis- he has gone as far as the semi-finals of the US Open in 2007 and 2012, and made the last eight last year, He has also won an ATP 1000 event in Paris and been an ATP 1000 runner-up five times.
Imposing their game early on the match will be vital for both men. One of the striking things about the Benneteau-Ferrer rivalry is that the winner usually cruises to victory, with only one of their seven three set matches going the distance, while in their two best of five matches, the winner has won in three and four sets.
The second semi-final serves up a battle of the serves in second seeded Roger Federer versus fifth seed Milos Raonic. Federer came throug a testy straight setter over Murray, while Raonic thrashed Fabio Fognini 6-0, 6-1 in a match which saw him save seven break points.
Federer leads this head to head 5-0, but three of their five matches have gone to three sets. Federer has, though, won their last two matches in straight sets at the Australian Open ’13 and Wimbledon this season.
Of the two’s serves, Raonic’s is the most explosive, and the bigger weapon around which his game is built, while Federer’s is the most diverse, packs a fair punch, too but is one of many big weapons in his arsenal.
Sets will come down to who falters first on their delivery, and of the two Federer has the better return, and will be the more able to take advantage if Raonic serves at 51 percent, like he did against Fognini. But Raonic also won 70 percent of his second service points, and if he can keep his stats on that shot as high, his chances will increase significantly. However, if he gets nervous and his second serves land in Federer’s strike zone, Federer will get the ball back in play and then outplay Raonic with his far superior all round game.
Raonic will have to serve at his best if he is to win, and hope Federer is having one of the bad days which have gotten the better of him at most of the events he has played this year. Unfortunately for Raonic, those days have come on final’s day. Federer will have history on his side in another way, too- as well as having never lost to Raonic, he has never lost a semi in Cincinnati in his five appearances at the last four there. Ominous stats for Raonic, but if anything can overcome them, it is the ever- improving Canadian’s serve on the fast courts of Cincinnati.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
Follow the U.S Open Series with The Tennis Review
thetennisreview 
Leave a comment