Wawrinka Wins First Masters Title With Victory Over Federer

Stanislas Wawrinka continued his incredible season and proved his shock Australian Open title in January was no fluke as he followed up by winning his first masters title in Monte Carlo.  “Stan the Man” fought off a slow start to beat fellow Swiss and close friend Roger Federer 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.  Wawrinka had struggled somewhat since winning the Australian Open and considering he was 0-2 in Masters finals and 1-13 against Federer, the odds were stacked against him.  But he has been a different man this year and continued his shocking march towards the top of the sport.

Switzerland Survive Kazakhstan Scare to Reach Davis Cup Semifnals

When you’ve got Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka on your team, Kazakhstan really should be no match.  Yet Switzerland somehow managed to struggled to see off Kazakhstan in their Davis Cup quarterfinal match.  On the first day of action, Federer easily swatted aside Mikhail Kukushkin before Andrey Golubev stunned Wawrinka.  The Swiss pair then lost the doubles match to leave them on the brink of elimination.  But Wawrinka found redemption to narrowly defeat Kukushkin in four sets before Federer sent the Swiss into their first Davis Cup semifinal in 11 years with victory over Golubev.

Federer Ends Dolgopolov’s Indian Wells Giant-Killing Run

Roger Federer soundly defeated Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals of Indian Wells, one of the most prestigious events outside of the Grand Slams.  Dolgopolov, ranked 31st, had a fantastic run at the tournament, stunning world number one Rafael Nadal before backing it up with wins over Fabio Fognini and Milos Raonic.  However, Federer was far too good for the 25 year-old, and will now face Novak Djokovic, who beat local hope John Isner in three sets, in the final.

Federer Rolls Back the Years to Win Dubai Title

Roger Federer had perhaps his greatest week in over two years as he won his sixth Dubai title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and coming from behind to defeat Tomas Berdych in the final.  Federer has struggled recently as he 32 year-old has had to dodge questions about retirement, but there have been signs of 2014 being a much better year than 2013, with former great Stefan Edberg now his coach.  In the Australian Open, Federer easily dispatched Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, before being subdued by old rival Nadal.  But in Dubai, Federer played vintage tennis to down two of his biggest rivals and win his first title since summer last year.

Australian Open Semfinals All Set

The semifinals for the 2014 Australian Open are set, as the year’s first grand slam continues to deliver excitement and shocks.  On the woman’s side, Li Na will meet Eugenie Bouchard in the first semi.  Bouchard, only 19, has had a break-out performance, and has been tipped as being a future superstar as she has won over many fans with her clam presence.  But since saving a match point earlier in the tournament, Li Na has been unstoppable.  She is the only grand slam champion left, and has reached the Australian Open final twice previously.  The other semifinal will see tiny (5’3″) Dominka Cibulkova take on Agnieszka Radwanska, after the former Wimbledon finalist stunned Victoria Azarenka, ending her run of 18 straight victories.  Radwanska played brilliantly in that match, and will be the heavy favorite against her less-experienced opponent.

On the men’s side, the big story has been Stanislas Wawrinka’s stunning 5-set epic upset of Novak Djokvoic, who had won his previous 25 matches at the Australian Open.  After losing a heartbreaking 5-set epic last year, Wawrinka learned from his mistakes, and will now face Tomas Berdych for a spot in the final, in what is a huge opportunity for both men.  After edging rising star Grigor Dimitrov, world number 1 Rafael Nadal will play old rival Roger Federer, who has turned back time with stunning performances as he swept aside Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray in back-to-back matches.  Whoever wins their semifinal will be the heavy favorite in the final, but both Wawrinka and Berdych should not be underestimated as they chase their first grand slam title.

Hewitt Stuns Old Rival Federer

Both 32 years old, it appeared early in their careers that Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt would battle on top for years.  But while Federer earned the most grand slams and spent the most weeks on top of the rankings in history, Hewitt faded away, almost forgotten.  After winning 7 of their first 9 meetings, Hewitt only won 2 of the next 18.  But, he turned back the clock with an inspired performance to beat Federer in the Brisbane final, continuing his tradition of upping his game at home.  After racing out to a quick start, Hewitt struggled as Federer staged a comeback, but regained his game to win 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Nadal, Djokovic in Fitting Finale

The top two players in the world will meet in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals after Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both won their semifinals against the top two Swiss players.  Nadal easily defeated old rival Roger Federer 7-5, 6-3, with Federer fading badly in the second set.  Nadal improved to 22-10 against Federer, having won all four matches this year.

Djokovic ended the impressive run of Stanislas Wawrinka, playing in his first World Tour Finals, by coasting to a 6-3, 6-3 win in only 84 minutes.  Bot Nadal and Djokovic have won all four of their matches in the tournament thus far, and will contest a mouth-watering season closer, with only the much-maligned Davis Cup to come.

Stunning Comeback Sees Federer Reach Semifinals

At 3-0 down in the final set, it seemed Roger Federer’s disappointing 2013 season was about to come to an end.  But the 32 year-old rolled back the years to stun rival Juan Martin Del Potro and triumph 4-6, 7-6, 7-5.  The result ended Del Potro’s season and extended Federer’s own, as he will now play Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.

Novak Djokovic beat a brave Richard Gasquet 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 to finish the round robin stage with a 3-0 record.  Djokovic, who has now won 20 matches in a row, will be the red hot favorite to defeat tournament debutant Stanislas Wawrinka in the semifinals.  Richard Gasquet ends with a 0-3 record, but dazzled the crowd with his shot-making skills in his first year-end tournament since 2007.

Djokovic Into World Tour Semifinals After Del Potro Win

Novak Djokovic has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals semifinals after overcoming a serious test from Juan Martin Del Potro, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.  The two men played one of the greatest matches of the year in the semifinals of Wimbledon, with Djokovic winning a five-set epic.  Their latest match was entertaining, but lacked the high quality of their Wimbledon clash.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer got his first win in the tournament, easing past Richard Gasquet, who is now eliminated, 6-4, 6-3.  The results mean that Federer and Del Potro’s clash in the final round robins match-day will be a direct shootout for a place in the semifinals, where they’ll likely play world number one Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic Downs Federer in Opening Match

The most highly-anticipated match of the round robin stage of the World Tour Finals saw Novak Djokovic take on Roger Federer, with the two men having won 23 grand slams and spent 403 weeks at number one between them.  Djokovic won the battle 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, taking his play up a level in the final set to see off his determined opponent, who most now likely defeat both Juan Martin Del Potro and Richard Gasquet in order to advance.