Federer eyes semi-final spot

Originally published on 04/09/14

US Open, day 10 order of play

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Not before 12.00pm EST/ 5.00pm BST:
Mike Bryan (USA) & Bob Bryan (USA) [1] v Scott Lipsky (USA) & Rajeev Ram (USA)

Not before 1.30pm:
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [6] v Marin Cilic (CRO) [14]

Not before 7pm:
James Blake (USA) & John McEnroe (USA) v Jim Courier (USA) & Mats Wilander (SWE)
Gael Monfils (FRA) [20] v Roger Federer (SUI) [2]

Match of the day: Gael Monfils v Roger Federer

Gael Monfils has been at his mercurial best in New York, entertaining crowds as he stormed through to the quarter-finals without dropping a set. It is only the third Grand Slam quarter-final of his career; yet his second in 2014 after losing to Andy Murray in the last eight at Roland Garros. Undoubtedly talented, few believe he will have the mental strength to get past an in-form Roger Federer, but whatever the result, it promises to be a late-night cracker on Arthur Ashe as two very different characters and game styles collide in the quarter-finals.

Look out for: Marin Cilic

While Monfils has been hogging the headlines for his on-court acrobatics and outbursts, Marin Cilic has been making his way quietly through the draw. The 6'6" Croatian missed the US Open last year as he served a drugs ban, but he has been making his way back up the rankings since his return to action and has been steadily improving his results at the big events. A second-round five-set defeat to Gilles Simon at the Australian Open was followed by a third-round exit at Roland Garros. After a quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon, Cilic is looking to go one better and reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows – equalling his previous best appearance at a Slam, when he reached the last four at the 2010 Australian Open. A possible semi-final against Federer beckons. 

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