Men's 4th round: Roger, Rafa and Del Potro on fast track mode

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro made short work of their respective 4th round opponents at the Aussie Open.

Intense as always

Nadal got past his sluggish fellow Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Lopez was erratic as usual and Nadal just did what he does best. He was single minded in his pursuit of another Grand Slam quarterfinal, chased down every ball, smashed his top spin heavy forehands and was consistent (80% first serves and just 14 unforced errors) . The match lasted 2hrs and 25 mins. It wasn’t exactly entertaining – a typical Spanish clay court slug-fest. Nadal will next meet Tomas Berdych for a place in the last 4.

Berdych got past another Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 in an unsporting contest where Berdych was booed in the end for refusing to shake the hands of Almagro at the end of the match. Almagro had hit a winner aimed at Berdych’s body for which he profusely apologized at the net. But, the jerky Czech Berdych refused to put this freak happening behind, and won no fans for this unpleasant gesture.

Roger Federer put on a master class as he proved to 19 yrs old Aussie kid Bernard Tomic that he has a long way to go before brushing shoulders with the likes of Roger, Nole and Rafa. The match ended in 104 mins with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 verdict in Roger’s favor. Federer smashed 13 aces and 45 winners. He was at his aggressive best but, his first serves need some work. The first serve rate was just 58% like in his earlier rounds. Next up would be Juan Martin Del Potro in the Swiss’ 1000th match of his illustrious career – a fitting opponent to mark this special match.

Big things are expected

Juan Martin del Potro is slowly gaining the form that saw him winning the US Open in 2009. He took 2hrs and 6 mins for a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 win over German veteran Philip Kohlschreiber. This was percentage tennis as Del Potro didn’t display the big guns that he possesses. Guess he is saving them for the blockbuster quarterfinal clash with Federer. That would be the stuff of dreams.

In 2009, when the same players clashed in the same stage, Roger pulped Del Potro 6-3, 6-0, 6-0. This time around, the scoreline will be different. That’s for sure.

Dream Tuesday for tennis freaks as the rematch of the US Open 2009 final is going to be played out … A promising youngster on the comeback trail against an ageing genius who wants to prove that he STILL belongs … CLASSIC!