Let’s gear up for tomorrow’s Aussie Open men’s finals match by examining the tournament matches played so far. Below we list the statistics on Roger Federer and Fernando Gonzalez and their opponents and scores to date in this year’s Aussie Open. I would love to see Gonzalez speedy enough to slow down the FedExpress to at least a competitive level of play. Since Fernando’s performance inspired Serena’s game yesterday, perhaps he’s learned a few tricks by watching HER tapes backstage.
MR. ROGER FEDERER
Age: 25
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
Height: 6′1″ or 185 centimeters
Weight: 177 pounds or 80 kilograms
Career Titles: 45
Career Prize Money: $28,576,458
Current World Ranking: 1
Australian Open Draw: 1
First Round: Bjorn Phau (Germany) 7-5, 6-0, 6-4
Second Round: Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
Third Round: Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-3, 6-3, 7-6
Fourth Round: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Quarterfinals: Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-3, 7-6, 7-5
Semifinals: Andy Roddick (USA) 6-4, 6-0, 6-2
MR. FERNANDO GONZALEZ
Age: 26
Birthplace: Santiago, Chile
Height: 6′ or 183 centimeters
Weight: 180 pounds or 81 kilograms
Career Titles: 7
Career Prize Money: $4,728,990
Current World Ranking: 9
Australian Open Draw: 10
First Round: Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2
Second Round: Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 4-0 (retired)
Third Round: Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Fourth Round: James Blake (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 7-6
Quarterfinals: Rafael Nadal (Spain) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Semifinals: Tommy Haas (Germany) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
Fernando Gonzalez of Chile makes his first appearance in a Grand Slam final in this year’s Australian Open. On Sunday, this Olympic gold medalist takes on defending champion Roger Federer for the title. He swept by German Tommy Haas with ease in the semis, beating him in straight sets in just over 90 minutes (6-1, 6-3, 6-1).
Though seeded tenth, Gonzalez has a full bag of tricks and has played some of the more sublime tennis in this tournament to date. He faced Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, prevailing against the second seed also in straight sets (6-2, 6-4, 6-3). In the fourth round, Gonzalez beat fifth seed James Blake in straight sets yet again (7-5, 6-4, 7-6).
Get ready for the biggest match of Gonzalez’ life on Sunday. Keep in mind, however, the FedExpress took just 83 minutes to dispose of his most recent victim and holds a 9-0 career win-loss record over Gonzalez. Here’s hoping for a competitive Australian Open men’s final and may the best man win.
