This year's Australian Open turned out to be a delightful show so far with so many memorable matches under its belt. With Djokovic and Murray out of the stage, things are entering into a highly unexpected scenario with players like Federer, Nadal or Wawrinka hitting the spotlights once again. Others, like Dimitrov or Goffin, are also trying to take the most out of this particular event. In the upper half of the main draw, the maths reduced themselves to a particular battle having Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka as the main characters of the drama.
An entirely Swiss affair with a huge potential of producing high-quality Tennis at Melbourne Park.
Wawrinka confirmed his hunger against Tsonga
Having Magnus Norman as his main coach, Wawrinka completely changed as a tennis player. While the reminiscents of his former self might still be visible during matches when it comes to Grand Slams, the Swiss always found a way to get himself where a player like him should stand. Despite having a sloppy start in Melbourne, Wawrinka is getting more comfortable on the tennis court having a spectacular performance against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman could not lift his game level and Wawrinka did not hesitate at all. Their quarterfinals meeting was simply a blistering display of power from Wawrinka.
He took the first set after a tie-break but from that point on Tsonga totally caved. The next 2 sets were both about Wawrinka as the Swiss won them by 6-4 6-3. Once more, against all odds, Wawrinka is the higher stages of a Grand Slam and anything might happen according to his previous performances in similar circumstances.
Federer ends what was a great run for Mischa Zverev
Zverev came into Federer's way following a stunning performance against the world no. 1 Andy Murray. But his unusual serve and volley game style did not pay off this time as Roger Federer won in straight sets 6-1 7-5 6-2. A highly motivated Federer left no change to the German.
The opening set came to an end in just 20min of play with Federer dictating the pace of the match. The 2nd act saw a different approach from Zverev and he was quickly rewarded. He broke on Federer's serve but was unable to contain the leverage. At 5 all, Federer broke for the 2nd time in the set and then he served for a 2 sets lead. The 3rd set saw a Federer enjoying himself at Rod Laver Arena. Some beautifully executed backhand passing shot winners and a stunning lob which ended a long rally caused a celebratory reaction from the packed crowd inside the arena.
Federer vs Wawrinka
Overall, Federer and Wawrinka crossed their swords 21 times having Federer ahead with a crushing 18 to 3 record against his fellow compatriot and friend.
The curious part of these stats is that Wawrinka topped Federer only on a clay court which is by far the surface where Federer is not totally in the comfort zone. But this time it might be different as Wawrinka might be looking for a 2nd title in Melbourne after his 2014 breakthrough success.
On the opposite side, Federer has a real chance to clinch his 18th Grand Slam title in men's singles, a small possibility a week ago, a likely event for the time being.
