Parisians have been known to do things in style and what many of them, about 13,000, did on Thursday evening was fill the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy to watch an artist perform at the BNP Paribas Masters.
Roger Federer was magistral in a 6-4, 6-3 win over Radek Stepanek, a victory that extended his unbeaten streak to 11 at European indoor events (Stockholm, Basel, Paris) this fall.
After dispensing with Stepanek convincingly 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals in Basel just last week, the third-rounder in Paris could have been a bit of a trap for Federer. The first eight games of the match were competitive and went with serve. Federer even had to save two break points—**on a Stepanek forehand error and an ace—in his second service game at 1-1.
But the Czech unraveled serving at 4-5, 15-all when he double-faulted. Another Stepanek forehand error and Federer was soon pocketing the first set with a flashy, forehand passing shot winner.
The second set was basically showtime as Federer stretched his head-to-head advantage over Stepanek to 10-2. With Stepanek serving at 0-1, Federer got to break point with a backhand topspin lob that was so perfect that a flat-footed Stepanek didn’t even bother to run for it, or even turn to watch it land. He looked straight ahead, expressionless, at Federer.
Three points later Federer had the service break with a scorching a backhand service return winner down the line that had the crowd roaring.
The rest of the match was more variations on Federer virtuosity, as his final winners to unforced errors ratio—33:13—indicates.
There was really only one moment of concern for the Federer faithful. He appeared to slightly go over on his left ankle stretching for a forehand volley leading 4-2 but, except for a squat to test it immediately afterward, there was no evidence of any lasting effect.
After impressive wins over Richard Gasquet and Stepanek to match his previous best showing at the Parisian indoor event, Federer will meet Jurgen Melzer in Friday's quarterfinals. He leads Melzer 2-0 lifetime, with both meetings between the 29-year-olds coming this season—at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Federer’s lavender Nike shirt looks stylish in combination with his charcoal shorts, but it’s beginning to seem a little drab. A little more brightness and color might have been better to liven a rather bleak time of year. That was about the only fault to find with the Swiss smoothie after his brilliant display against Stepanek, whose busy orange and brown shirt made him look a little like a scarecrow.
—Tom Tebbutt