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Djokovic 🎥 Dimitrov



Federer 🎥 L. Mayer



Raonic 🎥 Djokovic



Del Potro 🎥 Goffin



Wawrinka 🎥 Federer



Match Of The Day: Kyrgios 🎥 Del Potro RESULTS 🎾 💥 = Beatdown

🤕 = Injury

‼️ = Upset



Del Potro d Kyrgios 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 6-2 (3rd Round)



Such an entertaining match with highlight-worthy points every couple of games. The first two sets were incredibly even with both dominating on serve and getting very little joy on return (both winning 80%+ first serve points and 57%+ 2nd serve points). Predictably both these sets went to tiebreaks which saw each player raise their games when it mattered, Delpo in the first, Kyrgios in the 2nd. Nick even set up a set point in the 2nd breaker with a fairly ridiculous forehand slice down the line. One set all with both players ready to fight to clinch the decider right? Wrong. Del Potro went for a 9 minute bathroom break after the 2nd set and Kyrgios absolutely imploded after having simmered for most of the match, angry with various umpire & linesman decisions. Nick essentially tanked the 3rd set which was a shame given how great the rest of the match had been.



Djokovic d Raonic 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 (Quarter-Final)



The first set saw Raonic employ the same strategy that Dimitrov was initially so successful with: death by a thousand slices. Raonic managed to break Novak to lead 4*-3 with a mixture of slow slices and huge forehands cross-court. After decimating a racquet, Djokovic then dialled in some returns and just made sure not to miss. The Serb's 1st set stats of 7 winners to 6 unforced errors show that he knew he had to force the tall Canadian into missing, instead of giving him any cheap points with errors (Raonic made 27 unforced errors in the 1st set). Milos responded by donating the break back with one double fault and then hit another, set point down, serving at 5*-6.



The 2nd set unfolded in a similar fashion to the first, with Raonic going up an early break. But this time the Canadian didn't relent. Much better serving and some impressive aggression tied us up at one set all.



Once again digging himself out of being down the early break, Novak dialled in his GOAT return game in the 3rd set, winning 9/10 or 90%😳 of the 2nd serve return points. This helped Djokovic break again for a 5*-3 lead, and then successfully serve it out to maintain his perfect record against Raonic. This week has been tough for the Serb so far, clearly struggling with his level of tennis. But he has found ways to win while not at his best.



Federer d Wawrinka 6-7(2) 7-6(6) 6-2



Overall Federer was probably the better player for the majority of all three sets of this match. But Wawrinka showed some impressive resolve to save 4/4 break points in the 1st set, and then came up with some huge winners in the tiebreak, while Federer struggled, to take a one set lead. Both players found it hard to land first serves in the opener, Federer at 46% first serve in and Wawrinka at 45%. Neither produced their best tennis at this stage with winners to unforced error ratios bad for both (7W - 13UE's for Stan, 13W - 23UE for Fed).



The 2nd set unfolded similarly to the 1st, Wawrinka being the only one who had to deal with any sort of pressure on serve, again saving the break, sending us into another breaker. This set however, had Federer landing much more consistently with the first serve (63%), and given he was winning 91% of 1st serve points, the Swiss had the luxury of more free points at important times than the previous set. A much higher quality tiebreak than the first set saw Federer raise his game at six-all, pushing Stan into uncomfortable positions two points in a row, drawing errors, to tie up the match at 1 set all.



The third set had Federer maintaining the level he showed in the 2nd, with Stan faltering, and maybe flagging, for the first time his week. Roger rolled off a much more comfortable set, converting multiple breaks of serve, to wrap up his 13th straight win in Cincinnati.



A hugely positive week for Wawrinka, who's rest-of-2018 prospects have been positively transformed in the past 8 days. Very good signs for Federer, who apart from the '1st serve in %' blip in the first set, served ridiculously well without facing a break point the whole match. Looked much better than his previous match vs Mayer.



Also:



(3rd Rd) Federer d L. Mayer: 6-1, 7-6(6)

(3rd Rd) Djokovic d Dimitrov: 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

(3rd Rd) Wawrinka d Fucsovics: 6-4, 6-3

(3rd Rd) Cilic d Khachanov: 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4

(3rd Rd) Goffin d Anderson: 6-2, 6-4

(Quarter-Final) Cilic d Carreno Busta: 7-6(7), 6-4

(Quarter-Final) Goffin d Del Potro: 7-6(5), 7-6(4) SHOTS OF THE DAY 😮

(TennisTV) This Delpo winner got him the crucial mini-break in the 1st set tiebreaker. Given Delpo's post-surgery flat, push backhand technique, this was an incredibly tough, low change of direction, down the line, under a lot of pressure. He doesn't have the wristy, topspin control that a conventional two-hander does.(TennisTV) Full Point

(TennisTV) A very casual single-handed backhand from Kyrgios 👌(TennisTV) Full Point

(TennisTV) Ridiculous forehand flick from Federer. Crazy racquet head speed from such a vulnerable position. All wrist.(TennisTV) Full Point Trademark Djokovic backhand pass.

(TennisTV) Amazing half-volley from Federer off a big return from Stan.

(TennisTV) Wawrinka is back.

(TennisTV) INTERVIEW/PRESS BEST BITS 🎤 Djokovic post-win on how little the institutions listen to or consult players:



- "Players do not have a lot of leverage on changing the match format at Slams. They do their own changes and do not consult with us. Last example is the shotclock: no consultation with players, rule was just announced and we are the ones who have to play."

Source



On Davis Cup:



- "I think the change was inevitable. My name was mentioned among those supporting the deal, which is not true: I only support the formula change. The old formula was not right for the players."

Source



On best-of 3 vs best-of-5:



- "I have always believed BO3 is the right format. Maybe the finals could be BO5, but I believe the other rounds should be BO3."

Source

Federer post-win:



- Happy the "easy match came first".

Source



- “I just had to hang tough, not get frustrated, and hope that I was not going to throw in a horrible service game or that he was going to connect perfectly."

Source



On dealing with 2 matches in one day due to rain delays:



- Today I tried to really focus on just the one match, not thinking that there is possibly going to be two."

Source

Wawrinka post-loss: - “For sure tonight I’m sad and disappointed to lose, but for me it’s a big victory for myself after what I had last year. It was exactly one year ago. To see where I was also few weeks ago, I’m really happy to be here.”

Source WHO'S PLAYING TOMORROW? ⏰ Centre Court

NB 2pm - Local Time (7pm UK)



Djokovic vs Cilic

(H2H: 14-2)

(Hard Court H2H: 10-1)



Prediction: Djokovic in 3 NB 7pm - Local Time (12:00am UK)



Federer vs Goffin

(H2H: 6-1)

(Hard Court H2H: 4-1)

Prediction: Federer in 2 EXTRAS...🔍🎤📊 The last time Federer lost his serve in Cincinnati was in 2014😳.

Djokovic hilariously trying to find his Tesla in the parking lot:



Video

Federer, after beating Mayer, was asked about his next opponent (Wawrinka):



- "We've had 5 kids together"



Daren Cahill: “Get yourself into the locker room before you get yourself in more trouble.”

Video

Kyrgios to umpire (after a bad line call cost him a point):



- "Do you realize you are costing hundred of thousands of dollars with these stupid calls? We don't play for free. Absolute bullshit."

Picked up by on-court microphone.

After his run this week, Martin Fucsovics will enter the top 40 for the first time.

After his run in Toronto and now Cincinnati Stan Wawrinka has re-entered the top 100. (Matt): Aaand this is why I've just muted the phrase 'Davis Cup' on Twitter.



Context = Craig Tiley is the CEO of Tennis Australia who have backed, and invested heavily, in the competing ATP World Team Cup (which has its own issues).



Now starts the childish, self-righteous war between tennis's two major institutions (ATP/ITF), neither of whom are in the right (yet). It's beyond me how neither side realise that they should be prioritising providing value to tennis fans and players before subjecting us all to passive-aggressive Twitter bullsh*t like this. Either side positioning themselves as “in the right” is disingenuous until we see how both events pan out (hopefully, for the good of tennis, they both succeed, somehow).

Source Kyrgios was NOT happy with the officiating or Del Potro's long bathroom break.

(Matt): On that note, something really does have to be done about the time-between-sets rules, which at the moment don't seem to have an official limit. Delpo took a 9 minute, off-court break after losing the 2nd set, which utterly tilted Kyrgios. Nick should have reacted better (and generally makes far too big a deal out of umpire/linesman 'mistakes') but it seems silly to allow players to gain an advantage this way (for all we know Delpo needed the full 9 minutes but it seems a bit unlikely). - Solid elbow-snap.

- Decent level of decimation.

- Successfully scarring the family in the background for life.



9/10 smash, would recommend.

(TennisTV) LOL 😂 YOINK.

(TennisTV) A man that looks suspiciously like David Duchovny making another fan's day.

(TennisTV)

(TennisTV) Just two Laver Cup teammates having some fun. Pretty sure Kyrgios wanted Delpo to hit another tweener.(TennisTV) Full Point Djokovic, with "The Wawrinka" head point, fades out of focus to reveal a man having the time of his goddamn life. Scenes.

(TennisTV) 'The Racquet' is concise ATP tennis news, stats and analysis, delivered weekly/daily to your inbox. Make sure you never miss an issue: Subscribe Tweet Forward GAME, SET & MATCH 👋 The Racquet is created, and written, by Matt. You can find me on twitter by tapping/clicking this. You early subscribers (Beta testers) get access to 'The Racquet' Discord. Tap/click the Discord button below to join (we even have Jerzy Janowicz emojis). If you know anyone who would like 'The Racquet' here is the link to send them so they can sign up: https://theracquet.co See you tomorrow for Cincinnati Semi-Finals!