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Revenge-themed quarters set for Federer, Djokovic

Now that Robin Soderling knows how to beat Roger Federer, the Swiss star expects an even tougher match in their US Open quarter-final on Wednesday than his loss to the Swede at the French Open.

By (AFP)

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Published: Tue 7 Sep 2010, 11:34 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 9:18 AM

Second seed Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion seeking his sixth US Open crown and seven consecutive final on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts, ousted fifth seed Soderling in last year’s US Open quarter-finals.

But Soderling snapped his career-long 12-match losing streak to Federer at this year’s French Open to end Federer’s astonishing run of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances.

‘He’s playing really well,’ Federer said. ‘I expect it to be really tough, especially now that he’s gotten a taste of how to beat me. It’s up to me to clean up my game and put in a good performance.’

Since winning the Australian Open, Federer’s only title victory was last month at Cincinnati in the last major tuneup for the US Open.

‘I think anybody can beat Roger, anybody at least in the top 10. He had a great year, but he had some losses this year,’ Soderling said.

‘I will have to play really well to beat him. I know his game. He knows mine. I’m pretty sure I know how to play to have a chance to win but it’s going to be extremely difficult.’

Federer enters his 26^th consecutive Slam quarter-final, having last failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final at the 2004 French Open, knowing Soderling will be as dangerous on concrete as he was on the red clay of Roland Garros.

‘Like against any big server, you’re trying to read the serve, get into good baseline rallies, try to move him around, just play a solid match and have no hiccups on your own serve,’ Federer said.

‘I’ve been able to do that 12 times out of 13. So it’s a matter up to me now if I can do it again.’

If he does, Federer will book himself a semi-final berth against the winner between Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic and French 17^th seed Gael Monfils.

‘If he starts playing well he can beat anyone because he is so fast and so athletic and strong that he can get a lot of balls back,’ Djokovic said of Monfils. ‘I just have to be ready and patient and wait for my chances.’

Monfils is 0-4 against Djokovic but pushed him to five sets in round one of the 2005 US Open, to three sets at the 2008 Beijing Olympic quarter-finals and into a third-set tie-breaker before dropping last year’s Paris indoor final.

‘I have revenge to take. He won against me at home,’ Monfils said. ‘This time I hope to win.’

Djokovic was the 2007 US Open runner-up and lost in the semi-finals the past two years, all three defeats coming at the hands of Federer.

Federer says that Soderling has matured in recent years and found a way to be a more consistent threat.

‘Before he was very good already, but he was a bit up and down. Maybe that’s also maybe why his ranking was a bit lower,’ Federer said.

‘It’s not going to be easy. He’s a great player. He’s having a great last couple of years. He has always been a dangerous player but now he has been able to do it consistently.’