Roger Federer's forehand was peRFect as always, thou, he had a lot of unforced errors on the back-hand side ----
Replying to Match Report, Pics and Video Highlights of Roger Federer vs Julien Benneteau 3rd Round, Wimbledon 2012
Topic Summary
sausan
Posted 30 June 2012 - 05:33 PM
Was a very tough match yesterday Not only for Federer and for me also
My God, my hands were shaking and my heart beats fast,But in the end, Federer did it.
I hope in the next match from Federer to play well.
ya we haerd them hehe
My God, my hands were shaking and my heart beats fast,But in the end, Federer did it.
I hope in the next match from Federer to play well.
Here are a few pics of the match ( courtesy Wimbledon )
You guys heard the cheers & whistles when Roger Federer changed his shirt?
ya we haerd them hehe
theodorechua
Posted 30 June 2012 - 02:32 PM
I managed to catch the whole match and just wanted to share some thoughts 
After his dominant showing in the first two rounds, I expected Roger to breeze through this match. Benneteau however was a different player yesterday. After the first 2 sets, his first serve percentage was over 70% and his winners-unforced errors count was 37-17. That is championship winning form! It would be very difficult for Roger to fight his way back into the match from 2 sets to love down.
The 3rd set was much needed respite for Roger as Benneteau's level dropped a little and Roger hit fewer unforced errors. He raced to a 4-0 lead and held to love twice more to win it 6-2. I must say that I felt he would breeze through the remaining two sets but I was wrong.
The 4th set was the most exciting set of tennis I've watched in a long time. 72 minutes long and full of critical moments. This is the most clutch I have seen Roger for a long, long time. Here are some point-by-point breakdowns of the 4th set:
2-2
Roger earns 3 break points on Benneteau’s serve, but can’t convert any of them. More opportunities squandered. 3-2, Benneteau.
4-4
Fed opens promisingly with a glorious flick of the wrist to manoeuvre a backhand pass beyond Benneteau. He is powerless against the Frenchman’s barrage of first serves and Benneteau holds. 5-4, Benneteau. Roger will serve to stay in the match.
5-4
Clutch serving from Roger. Benneteau can only get his racket on one of Fed’s rockets, to which Roger replies with a thumping forehand winner. That lasted less than a minute. 5 all.
5-5
Benneteau is still on fire, holding to love in a matter of seconds. Fed has to serve for his life again. 6-5, Benneteau.
6-5
0-0: Federer comes out all guns blazing and has Benneteau scurrying around the court. The Frenchman gets lucky with a net cord. Roger is thrown off balance and fires a forehand long.
0-15: Losing this point could be the end for Federer. After a let call, Roger shows his courage and aims for the exact same spot and Benneteau can only claw at the serve! 15 all.
15-15: Benneteau steps it up a notch and out-rallies Roger, firing a winner beyond him! This guy’s level is insane. Big trouble, 15-30. Is a another huge upset about to take place?
15-30: Fed finds a huge serve out wide and then finishes it off at the net, wrong footing the Frenchman. 30-30. The champion roars again.
30-30: Fed digs deep and fires another ace. 40-30. Almost there.
40-30: Roger serves and volleys again, but once again can’t get his backhand volley over the net. Deuce.
Deuce 1: Again, Fed is two points from defeat. He finds a serve out wide and follows up with a crosscourt backhand. The old one-two.
Advantage, Federer: Roger thinks he’s closed out the game but Hawkeye shows his shot was out. Argh!
Deuce 2: Clutch serving from our champion again. Another chance to force the tiebreak.
Advantage, Federer: Guts from Roger as he counters Benneteau’s stinging shots and runs him from left to right across the baseline. Finally, the ball lands in the net. 6 all.
Tiebreak
0-0: Benneteau to start serving. He goes after Fed’s backhand but Roger hangs on. Fed’s dangerous forehand is just long. 1-0, Benneteau.
1-1: The pressure is on Fed not to get broken. He produces a giant kick serve which Benneteau steers long. Fed releases some emotion. Scream louder Roger, we cannot hear you! 2-1, Fed.
2-2: Benneteau serves down the middle, Roger chips a backhand return. Benneteau forehand to the deuce court. Fed goes forehand cross-court, good depth. Benneteau gives a reflex forehand, Roger anticipates, inside-out forehand, sending Benneteau scampering to his backhand side. Weak return from Benneteau and Roger guides a simple volley into the open court. Federer gets the mini break. 3-2, Federer!
3-2: Fed goes with the serve and volley, but can’t get to Benneteau’s fierce passing shot on his backhand. 3 all at the change of ends.
3-3: Benneteau pounces on Fed’s second serve but the return is out. Phew.
4-3: Benneteau pounces on a short ball. Roger’s backhand passing shot clips the net cord but Benneteau manages a reflex volley into the open court. Roger sprints across and keeps the rally alive but he can only watch from outside the court as Benneteau taps the ball back into play. 4 all.
4-4: Roger hammers back the Frenchman’s second serve and Benneteau’s tame shot doesn’t clear the net. 5-4, Fed! The maestro can serve out this set!
5-4: Fed charges to the net and dives for a backhand volley. It’s agonisingly wide. Trouble, 5 all.
5-5: Crunch time. If Roger doesn’t win this point, Benneteau will have match point on his own serve. Fed serves with heavy topspin and the return lands in the net. Disaster averted and set point for Roger! 6-5, Fed.
6-5: Again, Benneteau shows no fear. He goes with the serve-and-volley, and Roger can’t pass him at the net. 6 all as we change ends again.
6-6: If he holds, Benneteau will have match point. He creates an insane angle with a crosscourt forehand and Fed does well to retrieve.However his shot is down the middle. The Frenchman goes for the kill and it’s long!! Set point for Roger, Allez!!!
7-6: Set point on Roger’s serve. Benneteau’s return is fierce, Roger slices it back from the left baseline. A tentative forehand from Benneteau. Roger goes for the kill, swinging an inside-in forehand down the line. Benneteau dumps the ball into the net. 4th set to Fed! He lets out a deafening roar and jogs back to his seat with a spring in his step. The Roger camp gives him a standing ovation. On to the fifth.
I was really scared for Roger and even thought that maybe Wimbledon 2012 would be the end of the top 3's dominance. Nadal was out, Djokovic is looking vulnerable and Roger was on the brink. I'm really happy that after sitting through many agonising 5 set losses, Roger pulled through yesterday and showed his mettle. His confidence and belief was unbelievably yesterday as he stuck to his guns and went for the lines even during pressure points. His serve too was remarkable, extremely clutch when facing break points and also when down 15-30 or 0-30. I think this is the kind of attitude Roger must have, the never-say-die spirit coupled with fire and belief, in order to lift the trophy once again next Sunday. If Roger plays with this kind of courage and reduces his errors, he has a good chance against Djokovic in the semis and we could witness H17TORY Allez Roger!!
After his dominant showing in the first two rounds, I expected Roger to breeze through this match. Benneteau however was a different player yesterday. After the first 2 sets, his first serve percentage was over 70% and his winners-unforced errors count was 37-17. That is championship winning form! It would be very difficult for Roger to fight his way back into the match from 2 sets to love down.
The 3rd set was much needed respite for Roger as Benneteau's level dropped a little and Roger hit fewer unforced errors. He raced to a 4-0 lead and held to love twice more to win it 6-2. I must say that I felt he would breeze through the remaining two sets but I was wrong.
The 4th set was the most exciting set of tennis I've watched in a long time. 72 minutes long and full of critical moments. This is the most clutch I have seen Roger for a long, long time. Here are some point-by-point breakdowns of the 4th set:
2-2
Roger earns 3 break points on Benneteau’s serve, but can’t convert any of them. More opportunities squandered. 3-2, Benneteau.
4-4
Fed opens promisingly with a glorious flick of the wrist to manoeuvre a backhand pass beyond Benneteau. He is powerless against the Frenchman’s barrage of first serves and Benneteau holds. 5-4, Benneteau. Roger will serve to stay in the match.
5-4
Clutch serving from Roger. Benneteau can only get his racket on one of Fed’s rockets, to which Roger replies with a thumping forehand winner. That lasted less than a minute. 5 all.
5-5
Benneteau is still on fire, holding to love in a matter of seconds. Fed has to serve for his life again. 6-5, Benneteau.
6-5
0-0: Federer comes out all guns blazing and has Benneteau scurrying around the court. The Frenchman gets lucky with a net cord. Roger is thrown off balance and fires a forehand long.
0-15: Losing this point could be the end for Federer. After a let call, Roger shows his courage and aims for the exact same spot and Benneteau can only claw at the serve! 15 all.
15-15: Benneteau steps it up a notch and out-rallies Roger, firing a winner beyond him! This guy’s level is insane. Big trouble, 15-30. Is a another huge upset about to take place?
15-30: Fed finds a huge serve out wide and then finishes it off at the net, wrong footing the Frenchman. 30-30. The champion roars again.
30-30: Fed digs deep and fires another ace. 40-30. Almost there.
40-30: Roger serves and volleys again, but once again can’t get his backhand volley over the net. Deuce.
Deuce 1: Again, Fed is two points from defeat. He finds a serve out wide and follows up with a crosscourt backhand. The old one-two.
Advantage, Federer: Roger thinks he’s closed out the game but Hawkeye shows his shot was out. Argh!
Deuce 2: Clutch serving from our champion again. Another chance to force the tiebreak.
Advantage, Federer: Guts from Roger as he counters Benneteau’s stinging shots and runs him from left to right across the baseline. Finally, the ball lands in the net. 6 all.
Tiebreak
0-0: Benneteau to start serving. He goes after Fed’s backhand but Roger hangs on. Fed’s dangerous forehand is just long. 1-0, Benneteau.
1-1: The pressure is on Fed not to get broken. He produces a giant kick serve which Benneteau steers long. Fed releases some emotion. Scream louder Roger, we cannot hear you! 2-1, Fed.
2-2: Benneteau serves down the middle, Roger chips a backhand return. Benneteau forehand to the deuce court. Fed goes forehand cross-court, good depth. Benneteau gives a reflex forehand, Roger anticipates, inside-out forehand, sending Benneteau scampering to his backhand side. Weak return from Benneteau and Roger guides a simple volley into the open court. Federer gets the mini break. 3-2, Federer!
3-2: Fed goes with the serve and volley, but can’t get to Benneteau’s fierce passing shot on his backhand. 3 all at the change of ends.
3-3: Benneteau pounces on Fed’s second serve but the return is out. Phew.
4-3: Benneteau pounces on a short ball. Roger’s backhand passing shot clips the net cord but Benneteau manages a reflex volley into the open court. Roger sprints across and keeps the rally alive but he can only watch from outside the court as Benneteau taps the ball back into play. 4 all.
4-4: Roger hammers back the Frenchman’s second serve and Benneteau’s tame shot doesn’t clear the net. 5-4, Fed! The maestro can serve out this set!
5-4: Fed charges to the net and dives for a backhand volley. It’s agonisingly wide. Trouble, 5 all.
5-5: Crunch time. If Roger doesn’t win this point, Benneteau will have match point on his own serve. Fed serves with heavy topspin and the return lands in the net. Disaster averted and set point for Roger! 6-5, Fed.
6-5: Again, Benneteau shows no fear. He goes with the serve-and-volley, and Roger can’t pass him at the net. 6 all as we change ends again.
6-6: If he holds, Benneteau will have match point. He creates an insane angle with a crosscourt forehand and Fed does well to retrieve.However his shot is down the middle. The Frenchman goes for the kill and it’s long!! Set point for Roger, Allez!!!
7-6: Set point on Roger’s serve. Benneteau’s return is fierce, Roger slices it back from the left baseline. A tentative forehand from Benneteau. Roger goes for the kill, swinging an inside-in forehand down the line. Benneteau dumps the ball into the net. 4th set to Fed! He lets out a deafening roar and jogs back to his seat with a spring in his step. The Roger camp gives him a standing ovation. On to the fifth.
I was really scared for Roger and even thought that maybe Wimbledon 2012 would be the end of the top 3's dominance. Nadal was out, Djokovic is looking vulnerable and Roger was on the brink. I'm really happy that after sitting through many agonising 5 set losses, Roger pulled through yesterday and showed his mettle. His confidence and belief was unbelievably yesterday as he stuck to his guns and went for the lines even during pressure points. His serve too was remarkable, extremely clutch when facing break points and also when down 15-30 or 0-30. I think this is the kind of attitude Roger must have, the never-say-die spirit coupled with fire and belief, in order to lift the trophy once again next Sunday. If Roger plays with this kind of courage and reduces his errors, he has a good chance against Djokovic in the semis and we could witness H17TORY
Allez Roger!!Anna
Posted 30 June 2012 - 05:07 AM
Was a tough match, glad fed came through it...Loved the pics also ...
the match was probably over after the 4th round tie-breaker.
...the match was probably over after the 4th round tie-breaker.
