Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati

Men’s Semifinal: [CR3] Roger Federer (SUI) vs. [CR7] Milos Raonic (CAN)

Despite establishing himself as an elite top ten player since April of this year, Raonic still has not discovered the secret to defeating Federer.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Federer is a difficult opponent to conquer even when not performing at his best.

Raonic has been enjoying the benefits of his powerful strokes; however, all his power was neutralized by the genius of Federer. Although Federer may not have the power of Raonic, he possesses equal skills as well as his unique awareness of court geometry.  He knows how to use his shots to negate the strengths of opposing players. That is exactly what Federer did last night and there was no evidence of shaky confidence as he easily dispatched of the powerful Canadian, 6-2, 6-3.

If history has anything to say about it, we should just write Federer’s name on today’s trophy because he has never lost to his next opponent. We know though that there is always a first time for everything, and [CR6] David Ferrer (ESP) is probably hoping that this will be the first time he defeats Federer.