HALLE, Germany, 12 June 2004 — World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer advanced comfortably to the semifinals of the Halle Open yesterday, defeating France’s Arnaud Clement 6-3, 7-5. Federer will meet third seed Jiri Novak today after the Czech beat Germany’s Tommy Haas 6-4, 7-6.
The Swiss top seed had faced Clement, who is ranked 37th, once before on grass, beating him in straight sets at the 2000 Halle Open. He was too strong for the Frenchman again, playing some powerful service returns and winners and serving consistently well.
“I wasn’t feeling so good like the last few times but maybe that’s got something to do with him because he really came in a lot and never gave me the rhythm,” Federer told reporters.
“So I’m happy to have won in straight sets,” he said. “It was just a really solid performance which it needed to be against such a player.”
Federer last played Novak on grass at Wimbledon in 1999, when the Czech beat him in five sets in the first round. “Hopefully I can get him back,” Federer said. “It will be a difficult match and again will need a good performance.”
Sixth seed American Mardy Fish also eased into the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.
Fish, ranked 23 in the world and the US No. 3 after Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, will face second seed Rainer Schuettler of Germany, who defeated compatriot and last year’s losing finalist Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 7-6. Fish said Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Federer was unbeatable at the moment if he played at the top of his game.
“I hope that he (Federer) doesn’t play his best because if he does then I don’t think anybody can beat him,” said Fish.
Big-Hitting Roddick to Meet Hewitt in Semifinal
In London, defending champion Andy Roddick rocketed over a record-setting serve on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 quarterfinal victory yesterday against Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan on the grass of the Queen’s club tournament.
The big-hitting American was clocked by the radar speed gun at 246.2 kph, bettering his previous mark of 244.6 kph set in Davis Cup play April in Florida.
Roddick improved his mark over Asian ace Paradorn to 4-1 as he set up today’s semifinal against three-time champion Lleyton Hewitt, who polished his game in west London with a defeat of inexperienced Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-5.
Hewitt earned his 20th win from his last 21 matches here. “You want to be getting better and better,” said the sixth seed who lifted the Wimbledon title in 2002.
“We haven’t been on grass that long. But I’ve been building up well over the last three matches.
“It’s good to get a few wins under my belt.”
Roddick, who has set three speed-gun marks since January, said the records don’t mean a lot.
“In my mind, it still just counts as one point in the match. I’m much happier about getting through and get a chance to go into the final weekend. The boomer came with the top seed leading a set, 1-0, 15-0. “I wasn’t trying to hit it that hard. I didn’t even realize it was a record until the fans applauded and Paradorn smiled.
Roddick improved to 3-1 against Paradorn as the pair met for the first time since last summer.
Hewitt recovered from a break down in the second set against the 20-year-old Andreev, this week for the first time on grass.
Hewitt now stands 24-3 at the tournament as he goes into the showdown with Roddick, like himself a former world No. 1.
World No. 60 Andreev put up a fight lasting for one hour, 19 minutes, with a quick 27-minute opening set and a second set lasting almost twice as long.
Sharapova and Golovin on Course for Battle of the Blondes
In Birmingham, Russian 17-year-old Maria Sharapova and Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin, just 16, stayed on course for a WTA grasscourt final showdown here yesterday after both won through their quarterfinals of this Wimbledon warm-up event.
Sharapova, who reached the last eight at the French Open, eased through to her second successive semifinal here after a 6-3, 6-1 win over eighth seed Alicia Molik from Australia.
Golovin had a tougher time before beating experienced Swiss player Anne Kremer 6-4, 7-5. Sharapova believes she is hitting the right sort of form for Wimbledon, which starts on June 21, that she has pulled out of the Eastbourne tournament next week. Both Sharapova and Golovin are tall, blonde and are products of the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida but the French girl is restricted to appearing in just 10 tournaments this year under WTA rules. She will enter the top 50 if she beats compatriot Emilie Loit in today’s semifinal and that would also trigger a call-up to France’s team for the Athens Olympics. “It’s very exciting,” said Golovin. Sharapova’s semifinal opponent will be second seed Patty Schnyder, of Switzerland, who beat Japan’s Saori Obata 6-3, 6-4.
