Roger Federer vs. Simone Bolelli: Score, Reaction from 2015 Australian Open
Down a set and battling through such severe hand pain he needed trainer assistance, Roger Federer looked like he might be the first major upset on the men's side of the bracket. Then he turned on the jets and reminded the Australian Open crowd why he's arguably the greatest player in history.
Federer bounced back despite his nagging hand injury to earn a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Simone Bolelli in their second-round match in Melbourne. The Swiss maestro blasted 15 aces and was dominant with his serve after a shaky first set, continuing a trend that's been prevalent throughout his re-ascent up the world rankings.
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"I think I'm serving more consistent and stronger than I ever have," Federer recently told reporters. "That's my opinion. I definitely think the (new) racquet has helped me with that as well, a little bit. But, you know, my concentration I do believe is there, better than it's ever been, at least I hope it is, because I feel over time you always want to improve."
Federer won 76 percent of his service points overall, including 79 percent on first-serve tries. In his first two matches, Federer has dropped only 21 first-serve points. The serve improvement—in large part tied to his bigger racquet—has proven a godsend and helped him stave off his slower lateral movement.
Federer advances to play the winner of Wednesday's match between Jeremy Chardy and Andreas Seppi, which is ongoing at the time of writing. He holds a career 2-1 record against Chardy and has beaten Seppi all 10 times they've gone head-to-head. His triumph over Bolelli was his third in as many matches but was their first matchup since 2009.
It certainly looked it in the first set. Bolelli came out unintimidated and controlled the pace. He hit 11 winners as part of an aggressive game plan and sent Federer scampering across the court on a series of strong serves. It was actually Bolelli, not Federer, who finished the opening set with a better first-serve percentage.
A break and stolen set later, Federer retreated to his bench sulking in frustration and looking at his right hand. He appeared to be opening and closing it repeatedly to test his grip. After a meeting with the trainer to get treatment, Federer returned for the second set after a longer-than-expected delay.
Bolelli wouldn't have control of the match again.
Taking advantage of his error-prone opponent and tightening up his own strategy, Federer went to work enacting the destruction most assumed would take place before the match. He won all but four of his services points in the second set and took a break to even the match at a 6-3 set apiece. Then he walloped his overmatched opponent in a pair of 6-2 sets that breezed on by without much issue.
"Federer spent a good 30% of that changeover just staring straight at Bolelli as they sat down. He's in some mood today.
— Tumaini (@tumcarayol) January 21, 2015"
Federer held Bolelli to seven winners and cut his unforced errors down to five in the third, breaking the Italian twice and nearly winning half his return points. The deciding set was notable if only for the way Bolelli battled back to hold some semblance of pride. Down 5-1 and facing multiple match points, Bolelli worked his way to deuce and forced an eighth game in an effort that inspired applause from the crowd.
He then promptly watched on as Federer went 5-of-5 on his service points to close out the match. The No. 2 seed did not face a break point after the fourth game of the first set.
Federer has made at least the semifinals in each of his last 11 Australian Open appearances. Having lost in the semis each of his last four tries, including a straight-sets romp by rival Rafael Nadal last year, he knows each time in Melbourne might be his last best chance. Moving back up to the world No. 2 ranking has helped his confidence, as did a sterling 2014 campaign that had him feeling far more confident coming into the year's first major than he did a year go.
"I feel I'm playing very well. If it's the best ever, I'm not quite sure," Federer told reporters coming into this week. "But I'm definitely very pleased how things have gone now the last six months."
Odds are, Federer won't face his first major test until the quarterfinals. Sixth-seeded Andy Murray, who is on Federer's side of the bracket, advanced with a straight-sets win over Marinko Matosevic on Wednesday to breeze through to the third round. Murray and Federer will meet in the quarterfinals if both advance.
For now, though, both men should bask in the feeling of invincibility. It won't last long.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
Stats via AusOpen.com
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