Federer vs Tsonga: Australian Open Semifinal

Roger Federer, and many of his fans the world over, will be hoping that he not only gets through to the final of the Australian Open, but also wins the title, taking his Grand Slam title tally to 16. But before counting victories, Federer will be well aware that there are 2 tough matches to go before he can increase his tally. In the first of them, he takes on the number 10 seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in a semifinal match up on Friday evening.

Appearing in this 23rd consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, Roger Federer has put to rest speculation about his form, his supposed decline in tennis, and rumors that he was losing his edge, with a magnificent display of tennis in the 2010 Australian Open. Many thought that the quarterfinal match against Davydenko would be his undoing, given the fact that the Russian had defeated him in their previous two encounters. In fact, some went even as far as saying that the mighty Federer would lose in round 1, against Igor Andreev, something that has not happened in a long while. Federer, however, had different plans for his many critics, and after demolishing Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinal, looks all set to take on Tsonga and advance to the final. In fact, Federer's last 2 matches, against Aussie Lleyton Hewitt (round 4) and Davydenko in the quarterfinal, have shown that the world number 1 has indeed not lost any of the skill, talent, desire, or whatever you want to call it, that has seen him be number 1 in tennis for the last almost 6 years. And going by his performances in those two matches, he is the clear favorite to move past Tsonga into the 2010 Australian Open Final.

Tsonga, on the other hand, has nothing to lose by taking on the great star. And the way the Frenchman has played this Grand Slam, no one can predict the outcome of the match with any certainty. On his way to the semifinal, JWS defeated big names like Taylor Dent, Tommy Hass, Nicolas Almagro and, of course, the 2008 champion, Novak Djokovic, in the quarterfinal. He is playing some of the best tennis of his life and looks all set to topple the cart in his semifinal match-up with Roger Federer. Interestingly, the last time they played, it was Tsonga who won, coming back from a 5-1 deficit in the third set to go on and take the match. But that was not a Grand Slam, and considering the fact that Davydenko did that twice and still lost horribly in a Grand Slam, that win is not something that Tsonga will be dwelling on. Though Federer is the favorite, Tsonga might just be up to the task of defeating him, and putting himself a step away from the Australian Open title.

With Andy Murray already going through to the final, the result of the Tsonga vs Federer match is eagerly awaited. The match starts at 7:30 pm Australian time on Friday, and should be a cracker of a match to watch. Tennis fans all over the world should not miss the action as Roger Federer will try to make it to 22 Grand Slam Final appearances in a row, a truly remarkable feat, that I dare say, no one will be able to emulate. Stay tuned....