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Can Federer topple David Goffin?

By Keshav Gopalan

MASON, OH - AUGUST 17: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates returns a shot to Leonardo Mayer of Argentina during Day 7 of the Western and Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 17, 2018 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
MASON, OH - AUGUST 17: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates returns a shot to Leonardo Mayer of Argentina during Day 7 of the Western and Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 17, 2018 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Roger Federer has reached the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters. In his bid for an eighth title, we take a look at if Federer can surmount the Belgian Challenge.

Federer, who turned 37 a few weeks ago, played back to back matches in a day, beating Leonardo Mayer in straights before edging out the win against Wawrinka in a match that saw some fine tennis with fantastic shot making as well as several shanks from both players and some lapses overall.

His semifinal showing also comes after a 2-year absence from the tournament, skipping it in 2016 due to his knee injury and due to the back injury sustained in Montreal in 2017. He has been unbeaten for 13 matches in a row in Cincinnati since 2013, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in a 3 setter in the quarterfinals.

Solid form from both players

Both players seem to be in splendid form, with Goffin’s form being more surprising than Federer’s (who historically does well in Cincinnati). Goffin, who slipped out of the top 10 six weeks ago hasn’t been in the best form. After suffering the eye injury in Rotterdam, Goffin has had forgettable performances until now, with wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas (who beat him just a week ago and who was in the form of his life), Kevin Anderson and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Federer, on the other hand, has come into Cincinnati with plenty of rest and some decent-to-good form. He didn’t lose a set until his match against Stan, he didn’t face a single set point yesterday in the 5 sets he played and in general has been playing well. His footwork has been excellent, his shots on both wings remain solid, as does his 1-2 punch. The only issue is his court positioning, which is one area where he’s been wasting a lot of energy.

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Last match shocker?

Another thing that Goffin has going for him is that he beat Federer the last time they played, which was in the ATP Finals in London last year. For that to happen, Goffin had to play the match of his life, outplaying Federer’s aggressiveness with some aggressiveness of his own. It’ll be interesting to see how that match pans out.

Next. David Ferrer drops out of top 100: What's next?. dark

Conclusion?

While Federer has been playing well, his game is exploitable and the result can be unpredictable. It all boils down to how Goffin deals with the stronger serve and if he’s able to counterpunch the aggressiveness like he did last time.

Prediction: Federer in 3.

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