TENNIS – World Number 46 player Andreas Seppi from Italy upset four-time Australian Open Roger Federer in four sets with 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (7-5). The Sud-Tyrol player broke a 10-match losing streak against Federer, whose dream to reach his 11th consecutive semifinal at the Australian Open came to an end. The last time Federer lost in the third round in Melbourne dates back to 2001 when he lost against Arnaud Clement. Diego Sampaolo
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Seppi recorded his first win against a World Number 2 since he defeated Rafael Nadal in Rotterdam in 2008 and put an end to his 23-match losing streak against a top-10 player. It was the first time that Seppi beat Federer after losing in the previous 10 head-to-head matches.
Seppi, who reached the fourth round in Melbourne two in 2013 when he lost against Jeremy Chardy, played one of the greatest match of his career. He saved seven of Federer’s ten break point chances and hit 50 winners. He converted on three of his five break point chances to go up 2-0 on sets, while Federer had problems with his serve early in the match.
In the first eight games of the match Seppi did not face any break point chances The Italian player broke Federer to love to take a 5-4 lead before fending off three break point chances in the following game to clinch the first set with 6-4.
Both Federer and Seppi traded breaks at the start of a roller-coaster second set. Seppi got the break in the third game but Federer broke straight back in the next game. The Italian got the break in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead. Federer broke back to draw level to 5-5. Both players held serve and the set came down to the inevitable tie-break where Seppi prevailed with 7-5 to go up 2-0. Federer got a mini-break earl in the breaker to pull away to a 4-1 lead but Seppi broke back. Seppi drew level to 5-5 with a forehand volley before taking the 6-5 lead. Seppi, who had one just a set against Federer in the previous 10 head-to-head matches, sealed the second set to go up 2-0
Seppi saved a break point in the opening game of the third set before Federer broke serve in the third game in the attempt to claw his way back from a 0-2 deficit for the 10th time in his career. He won the third set 6-4 to force the match to the fourth set.
Seppi saved a delicate break point in the opening game of the fourth set. From then on the set went on serve. Neither Seppi nor Federer managed to earn a single break point. In the 11th game Seppi lost a very long rally of 24 shots at 5-5 but he managed to force a tie-break in the fourth set with two aces. The breaker started with a trade of mini-breaks Federer committed a double fault at 3-3. Federer had two chances to earn a set point but he lost two points on his serve to go down 5-6. Seppi hit an inside-out forehand winner to earn a match point at 6-5 in the tie-break of the fourth set. He struck a forehand slice down the line to wrap up the match. He celebrated the greatest win for an Italian player in a Grand Slam and the finest win in his career. Seppi is the fourth Italian player to beat the Swiss Maestro. The last Italian to beat the Basel legend was Filippo Volandri in Rome in 2007. The other three players who beat Roger were Gianluca Pozzi in the 1999 Davis Cup, Davide Sanguinetti in Milan in 2002 and Andrea Gaudenzi in Rome in 2002.
Federer made 55 unforced errors, including 17 in the first set.
Seppi scored his second win against a Swiss star after taking a famous victory over Stan Wawrinka in Rome in 2011. Before today Seppi had reached the fourth round in his 39th appearances in a Grand Slam Tournament. Seppi dropped to outside the top-40 last year but he started the 2015 season on a high note reaching the semifinals at the Qatar Open in Doha earlier this month. In the first two rounds at the Australian Open Seppi beat once again Denis Istomin in five sets in the first round and Jeremy Chardy in the second round.
Seppi set up an intriguing fourth round match against Australian rising star Nick Kyrgios who beat Tunisian sensation Malek Jaziri (the first player from this country to reach the third round in a Grand Slam tournament) in straight sets with 6-3 7-6 6-1. Kyrgios won the previous match against Seppi in the second round at last year’s US Open in straight sets.
Kyrgios, who famously beat Rafa Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, won the first two matches at this year’s Australian Open against Federico Delbonis in a five-set thrilling first round match and Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic in the second round.
“To beat Roger first time, especially in a Grand Slam, best of five, is a special moment for me. At the beginning I just went on the court to enjoy the match and to play my best tennis and I did because I was playing Roger. You never feel comfortable playing against Roger but I was focusing on my service game. I didn’t have many chances on his serve. Especially after the first set I was hitting the ball very well.I start to believe that I can do more. I think it was very important to win the second set tie-break. It worked out pretty well. I went in the court to enjoy the moment. You don’t play every day on Centre Court in a full stadium in a Grand Slam against Roger. I was pretty calm from the beginning. It was the match where I felt more comfortable in my life with my emotions.I think that helped me for sure in the end of the match a lot. I can’t remember well what Roger told me. I think he said: Unbelievable last point. Congratulations, something like that”, said Seppi.
Seppi reached the fourth round in a Grand Slam in the 2012 Roland Garros when he went up 2-0 on sets against Novak Djokovic at the 2012 Roland Garros before the Serb fought back to win in the fifth set.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything. I was very calm. I really enjoyed the atmosphere out there. I was not thinking I was leading two sets to love or tow sets to one. It was going to the end, so just if I could do that any time, it would be great. This win means a lot for my career. It’s the first time I beat him, I beat once Nadal in Rotterdam when he was Number 2 in the world. It was also a big win. I never went close against Roger. I never had the chance. To have this win in my career is for sure something big. It’s tough to say that I believed before the match that I could beat Roger. When the match went on, especially in the middle of the first set or after the first set, I started thinking I could win. When the match was getting close I started to believe that I could win, otherwise I didn’t win this win. Now I Know that I can handle some very difficult moments or some big pressure. Maybe I am a little bit more mature on court. I know I know myself a little bit better. It’s for sure a big confidence for the upcoming matches.
Seppi was asked if he had the chance to speak to Simone Bolelli who was beaten by Federer in four sets in the previous match.
“I didn’t ask any advice or anything. I didn’t talk to Bolelli really. It’s tough to ask some advice because you know how Roger plays. You know him well. I just watched the first set yesterday. Bolelli played a great set but I didn’t watch the rest of the match. ”, said Seppi
“I think Roger is still playing because he believes he can win another Grand Slam. He is a great player. I think that not many people thought that last year he could almost go again Number 1 in the world. I think he has good chances to win another one”
Federer did not look comfortable in the first two sets but admitted in the post-match interview that it was just a bad day at work
“It was just a bad day. I wish I could have played better, but clearly it was tough losing the first two. I had chances to get back into it but I let it slip. I guess I won the wrong points out there today. I knew how important that second set tie-break was, so clearly that hurt, losing that one. The end wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t easy to play with the shadow. But it was the same for both of us. It was just a disappointing loss.We had some good matches in the past. He hits a good ball, forehand and backhand, so that I knew that on a quicker court where he gets more help on the serve it was potentially going to be more tricky. I felt for some reason yesterday and this morning that it was not going to be very simple today. Even in practice I still felt the same way. I was just hoping it was one of those feelings you sometimes have and it’s totally not true and you just come out and play a routine match. It was a mistake. I know the strength of Seppi, especially after he beat Chardy, who I know can play very well. I was aware of the test and was well prepared. I couldn’t play my best tennis today. It was definitely partially because Andreas played very well. I felt that maybe rhythm was missing. I feel like very often and then. I come out and play a good match. Sometimes you feel too good and then you play a horrible match. The practice to me doesn’t mean a thing anyway. I was aware that this could be a tough match, so I wasn’t mistaken this time around. It was just an overall feeling I had today out on the court that I couldn’t really get the whole game flowing. Was it backhand ? Was it forehand ? Was it serve ? it was a bit of everything. At the same time I got broken in the last couple of sets. The second set I only got broken once. I was hanging in there. It’s just when it counted the most somehow it just ended up going his way. I think that was because overall I wasn’t feeling it quite as well. I had to play it a little bit passively at times when normally I would play aggressive. It was just a tough match for me”, said Federer.
Asked if the defeat was due to the grueling end of the 2014 season where Federer clinched his first Davis Cup and if the Australian Open came in a bit of a rush, the Swiss star said. “I was actually very happy that it was the way it went because it allowed me to stay within the rhythm and take the break after the Australian Open. I was playing very well in practice. I was playing very well in Brisbane. I was playing great in the practice leading into the tournament. I don’t want to say that I peaked too early, but I was definitely hitting the ball very well. I will have a look at it but I don’t think I did anything wrong honestly. I wanted to go to India. I wanted to go back to Switzerland for Christmas. I practiced as hard as I possibly could. I can’t do more than that. The year ended late, but one week later than normal. At the end of the day, honestly, I am confident that what I did was the right thing.
“I was able to iron out things a bit and I was able to play much more solid at the back end of the match. It just broke me to lose that second set and actually the fourth. I should win it too. Just a brutal couple of sets to lose there.”
