It was not the longest point in history, as the ATP representatives confirmed that to be a 29-minute, 643-shot rally played between Vicky Nelson Dunbar and Jean Harper in a 1984 WTA match. But Murray cited the break point as a game-changer. “It made a big difference. I realized toward the end of the rally that it was starting to become pretty long. Then your legs start burning. But you’re not thinking anything. You’re just concentrating on where you need to hit the ball.”


The point took the wind out of Benneteau’s momentum. Just as Moya did playing Murray from a similar score last year, after that rally, the Frenchman took only two more games as Andy won 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Roger Federer kept his winning streak against Lleyton Hewitt alive with a routine 6-3, 6-4 victory. The Swiss has now defeated Hewitt 13 times since the Australian won their epic five-set Davis Cup match in 2003.

Federer’s serve came through for him in tricky windy conditions. He won 89 percent of his first-serve points and didn’t face a break point in the match. “I’m happy with the way I’m playing, but I never really think going into a match with Lleyton that of course I will win. That would be foolish.” Nor does he expect an easy semi against Murray, who holds a 6-2 edge against the world No. 1. “But it’s not like he’s crushed me every single time we played. We’ve always had close matches, and good ones, actually. I’m excited [to be] playing against him.”

After the match, Federer walked along the back of the court, signing autographs for fans leaning over from the stands. He spent a great deal of time penning his initials onto tennis balls and baseball caps, far longer than any other player today. His courteous charm also showed up before the match, when he gave the crowd a little wave in response to their loud welcome (a small but rare gesture, as most players keep their heads low and walk to the chair amid the applause). Afterward, a reporter asked if his great achievements this summer have made him more relaxed. “Not really,” Federer replied. “I’m a relaxed person. I think that sort of relaxes you, too. I mean, I hope so.”

In Federer’s chipper wake, No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic and ninth-seeded Gilles Simon took the court with darker moods. Both players exhibited negative body language, regardless of the score or of the outcome of a point. Simon grimaced and frowned (partly in pain, it seemed, from his right knee injury) and went for big shots to keep the points short. Djokovic glared at his coach, Marian Vajda, and barked at himself, even after winners. But he insists he still enjoys being on court. “Of course I have fun. I’m an emotional player. There are some positives and negatives always in the game,” he said after the match.


Simon struggled as his knee kept him from using his prime weapon – movement. “I’m never exhausted. You know that,” he told reporters after the 6-4, 7-5 loss. “It’s my knee. It’s my strength to move. When I’m not playing this way, I am not Gilles Simon anymore.”

The Frenchman is still full of confidence after cracking the Top 10 last year and retaining that position. “I just saw that I defeated all the best players, so that was a good reason to be in the Top 10,” he said. His physical preparation for the US Open is still in question, however, because his sore knee isn’t improving. “It’s worse, actually. But the next tournament is [in] ten days, so good time to rest.”

Tomas Berdych made it a match, but fell to a hungry and determined, though not supremely confident, Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 7-5. With the win – which hinged on a few spectacular short-angled passing shots late in the second set – Nadal matched his 2008 semifinal result from Cincinnati, which had earned him the World No. 1 ranking. This year, the Spaniard is still in the running to set another record at Cincy by becoming the first player to reach the final of every ATP 1000 tournament.


But he’s not counting on it. “When I arrived here, I didn’t expect to be in this round. In normal conditions, I’m coming here to try to win the tournament. But in these conditions, being in the semifinals is perfect for me. Any result tomorrow will help me get to more level, no? I know tomorrow if I have a good match, if the result is close, I am there.”
Berdych had the support of a group of fans taking a page from Sam Querrey’s Samurai playbook for the quarterfinal. The “T-Berds,” unlike the Samurai, spell out their allegiance on white T-shirts instead of bare chests. However, they have some accessorizing to do if they want to catch up to Querrey’s fans, who have made the news on their own this summer. The T-Berds are on the right track, though, yelling with abandon from the top row of the stadium until the TV cameras turned their way.


More Photos from the 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Tennis Tournament.
Photos: Megan Fernandez