Tennis: Abrams picks the Miami Open men’s semis - Federer vs. Shapovalov, Isner vs. FA2

Miami Open
Men’s Semifinals

Roger Federer over Denis Shapovalov
Kevin Anderson, welcome to the Federer Fun House!

Pick your media. Whether it’s from Comedy Central’s “T.V. Fun House,” Green Day’s “Good Riddance,” or The Who’s “Tommy” Holiday Camp, last night Kevin Anderson musta felt like he was a patient in Dr. Federer’s Hospital of Horrors. The 6’8” South African had no chance in the match from the first point to the last. Anderson was a bit rusty, having not played competitively since the Australian Open in January, but he was complete cannon fodder for Federer, who showcased his complete arsenal. On the rare occasions when he was pushed, the Master showed solid defense, the unique ability to go from defense to offense seemingly with one shot, and a dominating offensive barrage of forehand winners, drop shots too tough to get, put-away volleys, and of course, unreturnable serves. After starting the match with eight straight games and a 6-0, 2-0 lead, The Fed let up just a little bit and Anderson came roaring back to go ahead 4-3, before Federer closed the door and closed out the match, 6-0, 6-4. As Roger said after the match, on the first set, “. . . I had a good read on his serve.” That is incredibly hard to do when your opponent is 6’8” and bombs serves up to 140 mph. But Federer is Federer, and if there’s a Superman in tennis, he’s it.

In a preview of Grand Slam finals to come, Canada’s brilliant shotmaker Denis Shapovalov ran away from 21-year-old American Frances Tiafoe in three sets. After a see-saw first set that Shapovalov seemed to give away twice: First, when Big Fo was serving at 5-6, and second in that initial set’s tiebreaker, Shapovalov regrouped and asserted himself just when he really needed it. When Tiafoe was serving at 1-2 in the third, a set apiece, and 15-30, Big Fo hit one of his trademark un-gettable drop volleys that was just shy of being perfect. Then on the next point with the score tied at deuce, Shapovalov returned the favor by hitting the exact same shot—a drop volley, that was perfect! Big Fo was never the same. The Canadian broke serve to win that game, and then ran away with the third set 6-2 to close out an impressive 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Tiafoe. As a consolation, the American will take home $182,000, and the teenager guaranteed himself a payday of at least $354,000. I think Shapovalov’s parents can cut off his weekly allowance now.

Can the Canadian wiz-kid, actually the second teenager from up north to make the Miami semi-finals, take out Federer? I wouldn’t count on it. This match may be a shot-maker’s delight, but I don’t think the kid has the fortitude to win just yet. Maybe a year from now. Federer seems eager, and I’m sure he won’t take the match for granted. The Master from Switzerland only looks at hardware these days, and when he lost last week to Dominick Thiem in the finals of Indian Wells he looked less than thrilled. I look for The Fed to win this, and play for the $1,354,010 top prize -- and his 101st career title.

John Isner over Felix Auger-Aliassime
Defending Champion John Isner has played eight sets in four matches here and every set except one (which he won 7-5) he’s won in a tiebreaker. When seven of your eight sets are tiebreakers, and you win every one of them, you gain confidence. Isner has it. He has slowly, with very little fanfare, made an impressive run to the semis here, and hasn’t looked vulnerable once, simply because his serve has been nothing short of unstoppable. He has won 90% of his service games in his career, and has been so dominating on serve that he has won 80% of his second serve points here in Miami. When he’s serving like this, I don’t see anyone who can beat him unless they possess an unrelenting return-of-serve that they can keep at a top-notch level for three solid hours or longer. The two guys who come to mind are Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi, and neither of those two guys have set foot on a Tour court in fifteen years.

Felix Auger-Aliassime has been nothing short of a revelation here in South Florida. In his straight set win Wednesday over Borna Coric, he overcame one of the game’s most solid, error-free players with nary a problem. After the young Canadian won the first set tiebreaker he seemed to gain confidence and momentum, and once the second set began the outcome was never really in question. FA2 reminds me of Boris Becker from 1985—not because he has that booming serve and youthful enthusiasm, but because he is showing a professional earnestness generally not possessed by professionals until they are far more seasoned and experienced. He’s the real deal, and he can beat anyone at this stage of his career. Still, the 18-year-old will find the experience of returning serves coming down from the heavens as the challenge of his very short lifetime. And Isner, as the third tallest pro on Tour (after Opelka and Dr. Ivo) at 6’10” has the advantage of booming his serves down from the clouds. They’re not only fast, but they’re consistent, and they come down at such an angle that they then bounce up high and present more of a challenge than just guessing which side, forehand or backhand, they’ll be aimed at. Isner also has a second serve that he hits up on with such force that the extra spin accomplishes two things at once: It serves to control the ball and bring it back into the court (as spin and speed are opposites) and it adds a kick after bouncing that generally lifts it up above his opponents’ shoulders at over seven feet in the air. I don’t think FA2 is ready to return serve against Isner well enough to win this match now, but in another year, who knows?