The first women’s semifinal features two young players who have never advanced this far at a Premier Mandatory event: 22-year-old Ash Barty and 23-year-old Anett Kontaveit. The first men’s quarter-final of the day similarly highlights the ATP’s youth movement, with 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov and 21-year-old Frances Tiafoe. The second women’s semifinal sees a former world No.1 just one match win away from reclaiming that ranking, against a former Major finalist looking for her first Premier Mandatory final. And in the last men’s quarter-final, it’s two players in their 30’s. 32-year-old Kevin Anderson is vying for the biggest title of his career, and 37-year-old Roger Federer is going for career title No.101.
Roger Federer (4) vs. Kevin Anderson (6)
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Federer is 5-1 against Anderson, but that one loss was a big one. Federer was up two sets and had a match point last year in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, yet Anderson climbed his way back to win 13-11 in the fifth. That’s actually the only match in which Kevin has taken a set from Roger. Federer would avenge that loss later in the year, and in the same city, with a straight set win at the ATP Finals. Roger didn’t play his best tennis at the start of this tournament, but he’s improved with every round, and looked very sharp yesterday against Daniil Medvedev. Anderson has been suffering from a right elbow injury, and had to pull out of both the New York Open and Indian Wells. It’s impressive that he’s advanced to this quarterfinal having not played since the Australian Open, though he’s yet to play a seeded player. This match-up leans heavily toward Federer’s favour, and he’s the more in-form player. Roger will be motivated to not allow Kevin to get another win over him. As Ben Rothenberg quoted Federer on Twitter, “If you beat me at Wimbledon, you’ve got my attention.”
Simona Halep (2) vs. Karolina Pliskova (5)
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These two just played an extremely competitive Fed Cup match just last month, with Halep prevailing 6-4 in the third. Halep holds a 7-2 record over Pliskova, with most of her victories coming in straight sets. The only times Karolina has gotten the better of Simona are last year on clay in Madrid, and in a 2016 Fed Cup match. Other than a scare in her third round match here against Polona Hercog, Halep has advanced comfortably to this semifinal. Pliskova’s path was a bit more complicated, as she twice had to go deep into a third set to survive. Karolina has been the healthier and more successful player this year. She is 20-4 in 2019, with a title win in Brisbane, a semifinal run in Melbourne, and quarter-final run two weeks ago in Indian Wells. Pliskova’s tennis has been much improved over the past six months with the joint coaching team of Rennae Stubbs and Conchita Martinez. Halep had about half as many wins as Pliskova on the year coming into this tournament, though she’s playing her best tennis of the season with her own coaching situation now settled. This match-up is to Halep’s advantage, as she makes it difficult for Pliskova to hit through her. But will she feel the pressure of regaining the No.1 ranking with a win today? We saw her lose several such matches which would have earned her that ranking in 2017. This could easily become a prolonged contest, and if so, I wonder how Halep’s knee will hold it, as it’s been taped all week. In a month where we’ve seen a lot of upsets on the American hard courts, I’m going with Pliskova to advance to Saturday’s final. She’s the player with more confidence and momentum.
Other notable matches on Day 11
- Denis Shapovalov (20) vs. Frances Tiafoe (28). They’ve split two previous matches, both last year on American hard courts
- Ash Barty (12) vs. Anett Kontaveit (21). Their first meeting will be one of the most important matches in both of their young careers
