Federer Beats Chung To Reach BNP Paribas Open Semifinals

March 16, 2018 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo Credit: Calvin Rhoden

 

World number one Roger Federer won his 16th straight match to begin his season with a quarterfinal victory over Hyeon Chung on Thursday to reach the BNP Paribas Open semifinals in Indian Wells, Calif.

Federer notched a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Chung to book his spot in the final four.

“I’m happy I found a way. [I] started off really well, struggled afterwards, found my game back again and was able to protect it, saving big break points early on in the second set,” said Federer. “I think that was the key to the match: those 10, 15 minutes where I broke at the end of the first and then saved break points early in the second.

I’m very happy. It was a good match. I played well.”

The 16-match win streak for Federer equals his best start to a season since 2006.

“It’s a great start,” he said. “Hopefully I can do one more and beat my best streak on Saturday.”

Federer will put that streak to the test against Croatia’s Borna Coric in Saturday’s semifinal. Coric upset seventh-seed Kevin Anderson 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in his quarterfinal showdown on Thursday.

“I didn’t start very well. He was hitting the ball very big, and I just couldn’t find my rhythm on the ball,” said Coric. “I started going more for the serve. And then I broke him earlier in the second set, which was really helpful. In the third, again, I knew it’s one break, it’s two or three points that are going to decide, and that’s what happened.”

On the women’s side, Russia’s Darya Kasatkina continued her impressive run in the desert by rolling past 10th seed Angelique Kerber 6-0, 6-2. Kasatkina will take on American Venus Williams who cruised past Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-3, 6-2.

 

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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