After barely breaking a sweat in the opening round, Berdych had to overcome a second-set scare to take down his determined second-round foe Ryan Harrison in three sets, 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-2.
The World No. 10 was as sharp as he can be throughout most of the match, winning 90 percent of his first serve points and 59 percent of his second serve points. He also overpowered the American with 15 aces and 36 winners.
Berdych’s form looks really good heading into the third round versus Roger Federer.
However, Berdych only has six career wins against the 17-time Grand Slam champion, who, on the other hand, has 10 more victories against the Czech. Still, Berdych has it in him to make this match go the distance, particularly to the point where fatigue could start catching up on the 35-year-old’s legs.
Federer was nearly pushed to four sets again in the second round versus 20-year-old qualifier Noah Rubin. The Swiss wobbled in the third set, where he had to rally back to force a tiebreak before eventually winning the match in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Apart from that scare in the final set and his 41 unforced errors, Federer was solid overall. He converted 82 percent of his first serve points and 56 percent of his second serve points.
The former World No. 1 has been defying Father Time throughout this tournament thus far. This blockbuster date with the 10th-seeded and seasoned veteran Tomas Berdych is not going to be easy, however.
Yes, Federer’s owned the head-to-head series by a landslide, but Berdych boasts 49 career victories against top-10 players. Federer will have to end things as early as possible while avoiding any unnecessary mishaps that could break his momentum or boost his opponent’s confidence.
