World number three and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer meets up with world number six Tomas Berdych for the 22nd time overall in the 2016 Australian Open Quarterfinals. The Swiss number one owns a 15-6 head-to-head record over the Czech, but Berdych has won their last two meetings in grand slam events, in 2010 at Wimbledon as well as in 2012 at the U.S. Open.
Federer, however, won the most recent meeting in last year’s ATP World Finals, 6-4, 6-2. The Swiss Maestro is coming off of an impressive drumming of world number 16 David Goffin in straight sets, whereas Berdych fought past world number 21 Roberto Bautista Agut in a five set battle. These two players have put on some great shows in the past, so expect a fun match on Tuesday afternoon in Rod Laver Arena.
Federer Overwhelms David Goffin In Fourth Round
After a tough four set battle with Grigor Dimitrov in round three, Roger Federer was all-business as he took down Goffin 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. The former world number one came out firing and never took his foot off of the gas. The five-time Australian Open champion had an answer for everything the Belgian number one threw at him. Federer cruised through, winning 86 percent of first serve points and hitting 39 winners. He only lost serve once, whereas he broke Goffin’s serve six times. Goffin had been playing extremely well leading into this round of 16 match. He didn’t play badly against the Swiss Maestro, he simply ran into Roger Federer at the wrong time.
Berdych Fights Past Bautista Agut In 5 Set Battle
The world number six’s journey into the quarterfinals has not been as clear-cut as Federer’s has been. The former Wimbledon finalist had trouble at times against the 21st seed, but he went on to defeat the Spaniard 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. With the win, Berdych advanced into his sixth consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals in Melbourne. The world number six was locked into a battle with Bautista Agut, a battle that lasted for three hours and 18 minutes.
The Czech number one played relatively well, as did Bautista Agut. Berdych will need to continue his serving statistics before his clash with the Fed-Express, as he won 73 percent of his first serve points; however, to beat Federer, he’ll need to do even better. Berdych finished the match with 66 winners as compared to 57 unforced errors. He actually won four fewer points than Bautista Agut, but still came away victorious.
Match Analysis
This has the prospects to either be a very entertaining match, or a very quick Federer victory. Yes, Berdych has won the past two Grand Slam meetings, but they’ve come four years ago and six years ago, respectively. Berdych hits very flat shots, but he can also add spin. Federer will likely look to add spin to his own shots to try and throw the Czech off-balance. The world number three will look to keep points short, mixing in trips to the net, throwing in drop shots, as well as going for winners early in the rally. This strategy has worked well for the 34-year-old so far in the tournament, so look for him to continue it in this match.
All aspects of the Federer game have worked very well this tournament. In addition, the third-seed is much more rested as compared to the sixth-seed. All in all, Federer is the better player, and should win this match. As he looks ahead to a possible semifinal battle with Novak Djokovic, Federer knows he needs to take care of business on Tuesday afternoon without putting in too much effort, as he will need every ounce of effort to take down world number one in the semis, should that matchup come to life.
Prediction: Federer in three sets