The Band Man

[gamavor]

Nalbandian - Federer *touche*

 

 

Federer Falls to Nemesis Nalbandian

by Neil E. Schlecht

Thursday, September 4, 2003

 

 

......

 

Nalbandian surged and broke twice at love. As the sun threatened to emerge for the first time in what seemed like a decade, Nalbandian cruised to a 5-0 lead in the second.

 

Suddenly, with everyone in the stadium thinking about the third set, Federer rediscovered his rhythm and roared back to get to 5-5. To complete the set of unlikely twists, Nalbandian reversed the slide and stormed to a 7-1 win in the tiebreak, equaling the match.

 

In the third set, Federer withstood a barrage of break points in a pivotal game at 3-3, but Nalbandian dug in and broke the Swiss star with a perfect backhand passing shot and a determined fist pump. The Argentine confidently held serve for the set, while Federer looked listless and unsure of himself.

 

Nalbandian snatched the lead for good in the fourth set by smacking back a Federer overhead and forcing a volley error to break serve at 3-3. With Federer serving to stay in the match, Nalbandian rocketed three clean winners to go up 0-40 and then sealed the victory by smacking a crosscourt backhand return winner.

 

Throughout the final three sets, Federer looked tentative, registering nearly double the number of unforced errors as his opponent and unable to play his distinctive brand of slashing, aggressive tennis. Federer was content to stay back behind the baseline and allow his defense-minded opponent to dictate both the style and pace of play.

 

The 2003 US Open, made so unpredictable by rain, may in the end come down to whoever is fittest and least flappable. And few of the men remaining in the draw are as imperturbable as David Nalbandian.

 

 

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/reports/2...2722902094.html

Edited September 5, 2003 by gamavor