SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 TENNIS Federer in great escape Heavyweight coaches NEW YORK: Roger Federer saved two to lock horns in semis match points to defeat Gael Monfils 4-6, 3- 6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 and reach his ninth US NEW YORK: Michael Chang versus Boris Becker and Goran Open semi-final Thursday, keeping alive Ivanisevic up against Stefan Edberg would have made an intrigu- his dream of a sixth title. The 33-year-old ing US Open semi-final line-up when they were in their prime. Swiss second seed, bidding to become the Today they will go head-to-head as the respective coaches of the oldest winner of a Grand Slam title in more four men to reach this year’s semi-finals. While Ivanisevic will not than 40 years, was staring down the barrel be able to deliver any of his booming aces, Chang chase around like a hyper-active terrier, Edberg swish away effortless back- of a demoralizing exit when French 20th hands or Becker launch himself through the air to pick off volleys seed Monfils had two match points in the - their mere presence will add another dimension to the drama. 10th game of the fourth set. Becker will be masterminding world No 1 Novak Djokovic’s But once they were saved, the lifeblood attempt to reach a fifth consecutive US Open final by beating was suddenly sucked out of the flamboy- Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who since adding former French Open ant but unpredictable 28-year-old champion Chang to his team has emerged as genuine major Frenchman whose notoriously fickle stam- threat. Towering Marin Cilic will have fellow Croat Ivanisevic in ina failed him in a one-sided fifth set. The his corner as he attempts to reach his first grand slam final by victory was Federer’s 26th in 27 night-time beating Swiss maestro Roger Federer who has been rejuvenated matches in New York and put him just one since tapping into Edberg’s serve-and-volley skills. So what effect win away from a career 600 victories on have the four greats had on their charges? hard courts, a landmark he can reach if he defeats Marin Cilic to make the final. Becker/Djokovic Croatian 14th seed Cilic toppled sixth- There is little in common with the way German powerhouse seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 Becker served-and-volleyed his way to six grand slam titles and (7/4) earlier Thursday to reach his first US how Djokovic has managed seven with clinical baseline preci- Open semi-final. Federer’s win was his sion. Eyebrows were raised when Djokovic announced last ninth from two sets to love down and first December that Becker would join his team alongside long-term at a major since he had to engineer a simi- coach Marian Vajda, and the early signs were not encouraging as he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter-finals of the lar Houdini act against another Australian Open. Since then, however, the Serb won the Indian Frenchman, Julien Benneteau, at Wells/Miami double on hardcourts, beat Rafa Nadal in the final in Wimbledon in 2012 on his way to his 17th Rome and then reached the French Open final before winning and most recent major title. “Gael played Wimbledon for the second time by defeating Federer in an epic. great tennis but even when I was two sets While there are no obvious changes to the Djokovic style, down I knew the finish line was still far there is a little more variation on his serve and he appears more away for him,” said Federer after the three- confident around the net. Most of all, though, he seems to enjoy hour 20-minute duel put him in his first having one of the game’s big personalities on his side. “I’m a dif- semi-final since 2011. “I knew I could play ferent player than what he was in terms of play,” Djokovic said at better tennis but on match point I wasn’t Wimbledon. “But in terms of mental approach and other things, I feeling so great anymore. “I just thought find that we have a lot of things in common.” In a recent interview this could be the last point, don’t give it with CNN, Becker said Djokovic reminded him of his young self, away on an easy shot, make him work for fighting against players who perhaps enjoyed more crowd sup- it.” port. “I was known to be a pretty hard-nosed guy on court with a very strong mentality,” Becker said. “I was a fighter’s player.” Lost composure As Monfils opened-up a two-set lead, Federer/Edberg Federer was in danger of falling to pieces There is nothing anyone can teach 17-times grand slam with two uncharacteristic losses of his champion Federer but as his physical powers wane, Edberg has NEW YORK: Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot against Gael Monfils of famed composure when he berated given Federer the confidence to employ more attacking tactics. France during their men’s singles quarterfinal match on Day Eleven of the 2014 umpire Carlos Ramos and smashed his rac- Federer enjoys nothing more than playing on the front foot but US Open. — AFP in recent years has occasionally became a little passive against quet on the net. But eventually it was the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Murray. Not the most powerful, Monfils, playing in his first US Open quar- best, so it was okay,” he said. Cilic, who Cilic has matched his best Grand Slam per- his serve still has the most variety in the men’s game and ter-final since 2010, who suffered the most missed last year’s US Open as he sat out a formance-a semi-final run at Australia in Edberg, one of the greatest serve-and-volleyers to grace the serious power loss with his failure to con- doping ban, pounded 19 aces past 2010. “I had tough times the last couple of sport, has encouraged Federer to follow it in more for a quick vert his two match points in the 10th Berdych, recovering an early break in the years and I’m really happy that things are finish to points. And it’s working. “Maybe (he) just reinforced game of the fourth set leading to a brief third to force the tiebreaker. “It was very working out with my team,” he said. the concept that it is possible, that I can actually do it,” Federer final set which saw Federer sweep to vic- tricky with the conditions,” Cilic said. Berdych, a semi-finalist in 2012, said he said this year. “For years I started to serve and volley once or tory. Monfils shrugged off his two missed “Very gusty-for both of us. “We are big served “horribly” nor could he make many twice a set maybe.” match points. “I think he hit two big guys, it’s not easy to deal with the wind inroads on Cilic’s. “Today was definitely serves, a good forehand volley and then a and the ball moving in the air. I felt that I not the day I wanted to have,” Berdych Nishikori/Chang good forehand down the line. I did my was using the wind a bit better today.” said. — AFP Long talked about as one to watch, Nishikori has added a lit- tle Chang-like steel to his shot-making skills. Chang was a master at making every point a war of attrition and while Nishikori is a more flamboyant player, he has clearly become much better on Nishikori carrying weight the defensive skills that the likes of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray possess. His five-set quarter-final win against Stanislas Wawrinka would have made old warrior Chang proud. of history at US Open The 24-year-old is the first Japanese man to reach a grand slam semi-final and though Djokovic presents a formidable obstacle, TOKYO: The hopes of a nation rest on the slim shoulders of rently promotes itself tongue-in-cheek as the “47th most Chang believes he will not be daunted. “He’s beaten Novak Kei Nishikori, who is bidding this weekend to become the first- famous prefecture in Japan”. Out of 47, that is. It’s only just got before. There’s no reason why he’s not able to do it again,” he ever Japanese to play in the singles final of a Grand Slam ten- a Starbucks. The first Japanese player to reach the semi-final of said. nis tournament. He outlasted Australian Open champion Stan a major tournament was Ichiya Kumagae-in 1918 at the US Wawrinka in five sets in the US Open quarter-finals to become championship men’s singles. Two years later, Kumagae Cilic/Ivanisevic the first Japanese man in 81 years to reach the last four of a became the first Japanese Olympic medallist in any sport After serving a four-month doping ban last year for taking a major tournament-and the first since Grand Slam events were when he lifted the men’s singles and doubles silver medals at tainted supplement, Cilic has returned with new purpose and opened in 1968 to allow professionals to compete with ama- the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. looks a much more confident character on court. The 25-year-old teurs. Now, just the minor obstacle of the world number-one has always possessed big weapons but occasionally appeared to Novak Djokovic stands between the 24 year-old and history.