Roger Federer survived an opening-set defeat and an injury scare to outlast Simone Bolelli in the second round of the Australian Open. He will look for a much better showing in the next round where he’ll face Andreas Seppi who’s coming off a stunning upset victory over 29th-seed Jeremy Chardy.
Read on for a complete preview of this third round clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the match between Japanese star Kei Nishikori and Steve Johnson here.
[sc:Other240banner ]Roger Federer’s bid to win his fifth Grand Slam title down under is still right on track after beating a resilient Simone Bolelli in the second round of the Australian Open Wednesday. The Swiss maestro came back from a set down to defeat Bolelli in four sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the former World No. 1 as he had to battle through not only an early deficit but also an injury scare. Federer called the trainer to check what initially looked like a blister on the little finger of his right hand. Federer said it felt like a bee had stung him and he had no recourse but to call for a medical timeout.
Whatever treatment the trainer gave Federer definitely worked wonders as he cruised through the next three sets, conceding just seven games to Bolelli. The 17-time grand slam champion now has two days to sort out his injury concerns before his match with Andreas Seppi in the third round.
Injured or not, Federer will like his chances in defeating the Italian star. He has yet to lose to Seppi in their 10 career meetings so far. Also working in Federer’s favor in this upcoming match is his ever-improving service game.
Against Bolelli, Federer won 76 percent of his service points overall including 79 percent on his first serve attempts. In his two matches in the tournament so far, Federer has dropped just 21 first-serve points.
Andreas Seppi barged into the third round of the Australian Open with a gritty 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Jeremy Chardy Tuesday. After surviving a grueling five-setter against Denis Istomin in the first round, the Italian was put through the wringer once again, outlasting the 29th-seeded Frenchman in two hours and 32 minutes.
Key to Seppi’s triumph Wednesday was his much-improved service game. Seppi won 65 percent of his service points against Chardy including 76 percent on his first serve tries. That’s way better compared to his performance against Istomin where he prevailed on just 61 percent of his service points.
He needs to build on his service game even more as he faces his Kryptonite, Roger Federer in the next round. His challenges with Federer are well-known, with Seppi losing all 10 of his matches against the former World No. 1. Out of those 10 meetings, Seppi has shockingly won just one set.
It’s crucial for Seppi to get something going against Federer’s serve. The 17-time grand slam champion blasted 15 aces in his win over Simone Bolelli. Seppi will take heart, though, in his performance against Chardy in the last round where he converted on 6 of 15 break point attempts (40%).
Seppi has met Federer before in the Australian Open, losing 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 in the first round back in 2009. Seppi’s game has improved leaps and bounds since then capturing three titles on the ATP Tour.
However, Seppi’s still looking for his first ever quarterfinal appearance in a grand slam tournament. Upsetting Federer in the next round will send him one step closer to fulfilling that dream.
