Chapter 437: Frequent Action
From the fierce competition on the tenth day to the focus on the eleventh day, the 2014 US Open men's and women's singles competitions finally announced all the top four seats.
Women's singles competition.
In the upper half of the draw, Serena Williams will face Makarova. The much-anticipated "Serena Williams VS Azarenka" did not take place, which is undoubtedly a pity, but fortunately, the local darling Serena Williams still maintains hope of winning the championship.
In the lower half of the draw, Wozniacki faces Peng Shuai. The Danish sweetheart, known as the weakest "world number one", is still chasing her first Grand Slam championship trophy. This time she needs to defeat Peng Shuai, who is in excellent form this year, to enter the final.
Although Azarenka, Sharapova, Bouchard and other attractive players all stopped in the semi-finals, Wozniacki still remained in the draw and Serena Williams continued her strong performance at home. This year's women's singles semi-finals are still remarkable.
Men's singles competition.
The top half will see Djokovic face off against Gawain.
In the focus match of the quarterfinals, the two giants met in advance. In the end, Djokovic defeated Murray in four sets and won the 21st duel between the two players. He is currently slightly ahead with a total record of 12 wins and 9 losses, continuing his hope of winning the championship in Flushing. Next, he will face the challenge of Gao Wen, the biggest dark horse of this year's US Open.
In the post-match press conference, Djokovic was naturally asked about Gawain, and the world No. 1 showed his usual grace.
“… I watched a small part of the third set against Stan and the final set against Kei, and he’s a very competitive player, his game intelligence was definitely impressive, he was able to hit some really amazing returns and put his opponent in a difficult position, and I’m sure it will be a tough match.
I need to rest and get ready for this game."
Djokovic remained tight-lipped and didn't let anything slip. He just expressed his approval and expectations for Gawain, and that was all. Even when reporters tried to stir up trouble, Djokovic didn't fall for it.
Strictly speaking, this post-match press conference was much more boring than Gao Wen's.
In the lower half of the draw, Federer will face Cilic.
Cilic defeated Berdych in three sets, which was a small upset. The reason was not because of the result of the match, but because the progress of the match was much easier and faster than expected.
The two players have faced each other eight times in their careers, with each winning four games. The most recent match was at Wimbledon, where Cilic also defeated Berdych in three sets, but that match was entangled with two tiebreaks and the score was very close; so it was indeed a bit surprising that Cilic won so easily this time.
Federer broke out in a cold sweat when faced with the powerful attack from Monfils. After losing the first two sets, he saved two consecutive match points in the fourth set and reversed Monfils in a five-set battle to advance. The thrilling match lasted nearly four hours, driving the Arthur Ashe Stadium into a frenzy.
In fact, Monfils has never been at a disadvantage against Federer on hard courts, with a total record of two wins and three losses. His changeable style of play and agile playing methods can always break Federer's smooth offense. This time in the Grand Slam tournament, he once forced the king of tennis to the edge of the cliff, but unfortunately he still failed.
In the next game, Federer will face Cilic, against whom he has an absolute advantage with five wins in a row. The outside world generally believes that Federer will go further.
This situation is very similar to Wimbledon——
Two months ago, Djokovic and Federer, along with two newcomers Dimitrov and Raonic, occupied the semi-finals of this grass-court Grand Slam.
This is the first time that two players born in the 1990s have reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam together. It is also a crucial event for the two giants:
Djokovic has lost three Grand Slam finals in a row, and his results at the Australian Open and French Open this year were below expectations. He has been looking forward to recovering his form, while Federer is struggling to pursue his 18th Grand Slam championship trophy and continue to make history.
As a result, Djokovic defeated Dimitrov, Federer swept Raonic, and the two giants met in the final.
Two months later, a similar situation seemed to occur at the US Open.
The pattern of "giants vs. dark horses" became the main theme of the top four in the men's singles competition.
Among them, Cilic, born in 1988, and Djokovic, born in 1987, are of the same generation, but their performance is very different.
This time, Cilic reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the second time since the 2010 Australian Open. However, his performance in the US Open has always been the best. He reached the quarter-finals once in 2009 and 2012. This time he finally made a breakthrough and stood in the semi-finals again.
There is no need to say much about Gao Wen. The young player born in 1995 has created countless records for the new generation. Just when everyone was exclaiming that the rise of Dimitrov and Raonic represented the rapid seizure of power by the younger generation, the younger Gao Wen had already surpassed him.
Especially after Bencic was eliminated in the quarterfinals, Gao Wen has become the only player born after 1990 in the singles and doubles competitions this year.
So, can Gawain go one step further and make history?
Obviously, Djokovic and Federer will do their best to replicate their performance at Wimbledon and meet in the finals for the second consecutive Grand Slam, which should be what countless fans really want to see.
Although we can’t watch “Federer VS Nadal” anymore, we can at least watch “Federer VS Djokovic”.
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But the performances of Gawain and Cilic are also worth looking forward to. After all, a wonderful game requires the cooperation of two players. Even if we don't expect them to continue to create miracles, at least the semi-finals should meet the standards of the Grand Slam.
In the hustle and bustle, as the Grand Slam tournament enters the semi-finals, the discussion becomes more and more intense.
On the twelfth competition day, Gao Wen still did not compete.
According to daily rules, there should have been a match today, but according to the US Open schedule, two women's singles semi-finals will be held today, and then the two finalists will have a day to rest and adjust before the final; and the two men's singles semi-finals will be held tomorrow, which will also ensure that the two finalists can get fair rest time before stepping onto the final stage.
Correspondingly, for Serena Williams and Makarova in the upper half of the women's singles, they just finished their match yesterday and have to play consecutive matches today. The test of physical strength is also an important issue in the Grand Slam.
Djokovic and Gao Wen in the upper half of the men's singles will be able to rest for one more day before the semi-finals. Although this is great for Gao Wen who had fought hard in the previous five rounds, the training rhythm for the next day's game will inevitably be disrupted, which has both advantages and disadvantages.
From this we can see that Grand Slam events are intricate and details determine success or failure.
(End of this chapter)