MEN’S SEMI-FINAL: [3] Roger Federer (SUI) vs. [7] Dominic Thiem (AUT)
It was an unenviable task, beat Federer on his favorite surface, many have tried but only a few have succeeded. Thiem won their last encounter, but that was on clay and Federer was not a hundred percent. Federer was rusty after taking some time to heal his back, but looked like he had worked the kinks out as the tournament progressed. Federer started sharp and won the first set.
Was the rain a contributing factor to this loss? Play was interrupted several times and with a back issue, those interruptions did not help. Thiem almost lost the match after taking a commanding 5-0 lead in the second. Federer clawed his way back into the set and forced a tiebreak. He had two match points and could not convert either and the momentum shifted to Thiem. Federer was clearly frustrated and he had a lively interaction with the net after missing a volley to lose the set. This is the second consecutive time that Thiem has defeated Federer, and this time it was on Federer’s most dominant surface. Thiem won 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4. Can he win his first title on grass?
MLADENOVIC FOILS BENCIC’S RETURN
WOMEN’S SEMI-FINAL: [8] Belinda Bencic (SUI) vs. [32] Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
Bencic was also making her return to the Tour after a long break because of back issues and was hoping to lift the trophy to announce her return in style. They had played once before, at this very tournament last year. It was a much more tightly contested encounter, which Bencic won in three sets. There were two tiebreaks and the final set was won 7-5. Today’s score may not be as intriguing but it was also a battle and encounter was won by Mladenovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The emotional difficulty of playing a close friend was evident throughout the match. Can Mladenovic claim her first singles title or will Vandeweghe claim her second singles title?
