Spanish Duel in the Melbourne Sun

This would not be the first time that two Spanish men had saddled up for battle in the 2013 Aus Open, but today the stakes were the highest they had been for 4th seed David Ferrer and 10th seed Nicolas Almagro.  Ferrer, an old hand at quarter finals played at this level began the favourite over Almagro who while impressive to this point had been assisted by injury to Janko Tipsarevic in the fourth round.  Never had Nicolas progressed beyond a Grand Slam tournament quarter final so a win today would be career defining.

Base line tennis was the order of the day and we had two of the best exponents to bring it to us. Ferrer had hit peak form at the right time entering this match and his accuracy surprised no one, especially not Almagro who had seen his opponent's abilities from up close over many years.  Almagro is a claycourter with a difference and the single handed backhand sets him apart from almost all professionals on tour today.

The opening set went to script for the better part, with hard hitting ground strokes from on or around the  base line, lots of spin which shocked neither player, but with a lousy first serve percentage from Almagro which Ferrer was not able to exploit.
The seventh game sponsored the only break point for the set and it came courtesy of the David Ferrer serve.  A forcing shot from Almagro, as if any of his shots deserved an alternative description, rendered a Ferrer backhand obsolete and in he process his service game broken.  Almagro led 4-3 and he led with various other scorelines until he was finally content with the one that read 6-4.  It fitted him well and he wore it into the start of Set 2.

More of the same in the second set with the players making ground to balls that had no physical right to be reached and not only that for the racquet to be prepared in such a way for the replies to be just as elusive when they landed across the other side of the net.  Again no hint of drama on serve until Ferrer located trouble when traversing through the fifth game.  It was a break point sneakily hidden by Almagro and designed to cause irreparable damage when converted, which conversion Nicolas duly undertook.

Trailing 2-3, Ferrer kept pace with Almagro to trail 3-4 and then set about retrieving the situation by investing in 15-40 on the Almagro serve in the eight game.  Nicolas had been tipped off, though, and used 2 big serves to block the break points away and move to the safety of 5-3.
David did as instructed while the remaining two games were completed and allowed Almagro to build his lead to 6-4 6-4.

Now things could really begin because Ferrer was hungry for a five setter.

Nicolas had problems with his first serve once more in Set 3 and yet again David could not take advantage.  The accuracy and weight of shot continued to define the long and far from boring rallies as the two warriors battled on.  Nicolas broke the Ferrer serve to lead 4-3 and for the first time seriously have talk circulating re the possibility of the 4th seed exit.

The break was consolidated and when the time came at 5-4 for Almagro to serve for a semi final berth, the best of David Ferrer emerged from its hiding place.

He barely missed a shot in the entire game, and that coupled with the inability of Almagro to put enough first serves into play conspired to break the serve and level the set at 5-5.

Ferrer thrived on the momentum shift as if were his own adrenalin, and he became unstoppable, taking the next two games and stealing the set from under the eyes of his mate 7-5.

The fourth set included the standard fare of powerfully hit rallies and lots of running, but the big difference came on the scoreboard where the serve was finally affected and significantly.  Many break points were created by both players and several converted, beginning with Ferrer losing his serve in the third game and lag behind 1-2.

In a case of  "any serve you can drop I can drop too" Almagro mimicked Ferrer in the very next game for 2-2.  The two played around like this in games seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve, with Almagro serving for the match in both the tenth and twelfth.

The fact that Nicolas had now failed with three attempts at serving out the match did not augur well for his chances in the tie break which was the only way to decide the fourth set since the players were obviously too intent on breaking each others serves to have worked it out beforehand.

Ferrer did win the tie break and accordingly the right to contest the fifth set which Almagro needed like a leg cramp, and it seemed he was about to inherit one of those too.

The fifth set did fall the expected way with Ferrer the more solid of the two as the match developed and the Almagro mental scars grew.  If Ferrer gives you that many chances in a match and none of them are taken then eventually it will sting you in the cruellest manner.

Ferrer into yet another semi and eyeing his first ever Grand Slam tournament final
4-6 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-2