Roger Federer vs. Marcel Granollers: Score and Reaction from 2015 French Open
Roger Federer marched into Round 3 of the French Open, overcoming Marcel Granollers 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-3 at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
Federer's straight-sets victory was confirmed by the tournament's official Twitter feed:
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The Swiss, who is chasing his second triumph at this illustrious venue, started the match superbly, and although Federer was met with some resistance in the second set, he was by far the better player in a lopsided encounter.
Federer made his intentions clear from the off in this one. A ripper of a forehand seized a break of serve in the opening game, and from that point on, the Spaniard was always on the back foot.
Federer was able to coast through his service games in the opening stanza, dictating matters with his trademark swagger. He went on to break his opponent two more times in the opener, taking the first set 6-2.
As we can see here, it was easy work for the veteran:
Granollers did up his level in the second set, in fairness. After the opening five games went with serve, the underdog managed to manufacture a break point in the fifth. He failed to capitalise at the first opportunity, but when another emerged, a zinger of a backhand pushed the Spaniard 4-2 in front.
However, as he so often does, Federer responded brilliantly. Maybe resting on his laurels slightly, Granollers made some rudimentary errors in the following game, including a double fault, before surrendering the advantage back to the Swiss.
The set went to a tiebreak, and as noted by tennis coach Paul McNamee, Federer was flawless, taking the breaker 7-1 and the second set 7-6:
Two sets down against arguably the greatest player ever to pick up a racket would be enough to finish a lot of players off. But credit to the Spaniard, who did well to capitalise on a sloppy start to the third set from Federer, breaking his illustrious opponent for the second time in the match.
But just three games later, the match was back on serve. The 33-year-old showcased the nimbleness of a capricious upstart, scrambling around the back of the court to conjure a couple of break points. He took one, and suddenly, victory was in sight for Federer.
As noted by ByTheMin Tennis, Granollers failed to make the most of his chances:
After consolidating his break, Federer was in the mood. He took the sixth game to move into a 4-2 lead, breaking Granollers' longstanding resolve in the process. Eventually, the Swiss won the third set 6-3, securing his spot in the third round.
Afterwards, Federer admitted that the Spaniard pushed him hard, per Sky Sports: "I think it was a really difficult match," he said. "It looks like a routine match in three sets, but in the stands you see I had to work hard. The second set was the key."
Federer showcased a little bit of everything in this match. When Granollers did produce signs of life, he quickly extinguished them, manufacturing big shots at crucial moments. As only he can, the Swiss sensation sprinkled his unique stardust all over the Roland Garros court.
There’s no getting away from the fact that with a favourable draw and an out-of-form Rafael Nadal, this could represent Federer's best opportunity to add to his solitary title at Roland Garros; at the moment, you certainly wouldn’t bet against him doing so.
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