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Bautista won't be a surprise for Federer, even though they've never met before

The suspension due to rain helped both of them, especially Federer. This will be his first meeting with Bautista, but he was still able to describe the opponent's game extremely well

PBZ Zagreb Indoors

Nadal is better than Federer in their head-to-head games, the Swiss is tied with Murray, and has only one head-to-head win against Djokovic more. His record against top players is clearly not brilliant, but his capacity to beat all the other players quickly and easily is definitely the proof of his brilliance. He is always looking for as short a rally as possible, and comes to the net more often lately to make sure that happens. 

The Swiss is currently on a 8-match winning streak, having recorded only two defeats since Roland Garros. Matosevic and Groth were worthy opponents at times, but still couldn't win a set. His next opponent Granollers should have been a favorable draw, but he managed to surprise everyone at the opening of that match. Not only did he win the three opening games, but he lost only one point in the process as well.The weather might have had an influence on Federer, and the break did him good. He sailed through the match following the first set, allowing Granollers to win only three additional games. The last two sets lasted less than half an hour.

- I enjoyed the first two sets, but the rest not so much. When Federer  plays like that, there's nothing left for me to do. I lost it after the first set. I can't say I was smart about those points - the Spaniards said. Federer admitted to the break helping him:

- Marcel opened the match brilliantly. I started doing much better following the suspension. I'm happy with how I'm doing, especially here in New York. I feel fast and coordinated. I've adjusted to the conditions and everything is working just fine.

The fact play was suspended in New York because of rain helped Bautista as well. He was down 4-2 in the first set, his opponent even served for the match, but that didn't do him much good. Mannarino then lost three service games in a row, making himself easy prey. He was helpless for the rest of the match, allowing Bautista to win:

- I didn't win any easy points, he was dominant in his service games. I struggled in rallies as well, especially as the match advanced. His forehand was unstoppable. 

Bautista recorded only one ace, while Mannarino recorded 9. But Bautista had a much better first service record regardless. Besides, he won 44% of point at return, allowing only three break points, two of which in the first set. He will now face Federer for the first time. The Swiss said:

- We never met before, but he did a lot this season. If I'm not mistaken, he won a few ATP tournaments on different surfaces. He is fast and doesn't miss the shots a lot. I know he's good on the base line, and being Spanish, he can probably run all day long. But he's not your typical Spaniard with a lot of  top-spin. He plays unbelievably flat, which surprised me the first time a saw it.

Federer never met Bautista, which didn't stop him from describing his game as if they met a lot of times. There will be no surprises. Bautista can force anyone to make mistakes, but if Federer does good, the Spaniard won't have a say in the match. That happened to Bautista a few weeks ago when he won only 5 games against Monfils.