Roma: Rafa vs. Federer (Set 1)

Good thing I set my alarm. Or I wouldn't have woken up for this. It's 5 a.m.

RF got off to a good start winning his first service game, losing only one point. Rafa is up 40-0 in his first service game. Just hit two good passing shots. FH winner by RF. 40-15. Another pass.

1-1.

RF to serve. Fault. BH goes long. 0-15. Fault. 15-15. BH into net. 30-15. Another BH goes long. 40-15. Fault. FH winner by RF. Game RF.

1-2, RF.

Rafa to serve. Commentators are saying Rafa isn't playing as confidently in this final. It's still early, but it's obvious RF is a man on a mission here. Rafa definitely needs to shave. BH into net. 15-0. 15-15. Nice pass. Rafa yells Vamos!!! 30-15. Let. FH winner by RF. 30-30. This is not going to be an easy match for Rafa. Fault. FH mishit. 30-40. RF has breakpoint. Come on, Rafa!!! Commentators are saying Rafa is a little tense. And he might be. Rafa hits BH wide. RF breaks. Rafa is under pressure here.

1-3, RF.

RF to serve. 15-0. FH went long. 15-15. RF is the aggressive one right now. FH goes long. 15-30 Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Another FH volley error. 15-40. Two BP's for Rafa. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! FH winner by Rafa. Yells Vamos!!!

2-3, RF.

Rafa to serve. It was very important that he broke back. Now he has to hold himself. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Has his bottles placed just so. Adjusts socks and spits. Ready to serve. Just misses FH. 0-15. Commentators say that RF has Rafa on the run. RF misses FH. Rafa is peppering the BH. 15-15. I don't know why commentators keep saying "it's a shame" every time RF misses a point. Let, second serve. That almost was a DF. FH mishit by RF. 30-15. Omar Sharif is in the audience. Fault. FH winner. 40-15. Game Rafa.

3-3.

RF to serve. 15-0. 30-0. Fault. FH mishit, after good return. 30-15. Rafa smiling about something. 40-15. After good serve, and short reply. Fault. Rafa misses FH. Game RF.

3-4, RF.

Rafa to serve. New balls. Adjusts socks, ready to go. Fault. BH goes long. 15-0. FH clips the tape and goes out. 15-15. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Toni looks a little nervous. Misses FH. Rafa is under pressure here. 15-30. Vamos, Rafa!!! He has 9 UE's so far. Rafa misses FH. 30-30. RF FH into net. 40-30. Return sails. Game Rafa.

4-4.

RF to serve. Fault. Rafa missed pass. Disappointed with himself. 15-0. Fault. RF misses drop shot. 15-15. Fault. Too good by Rafa. 15-30. Had RF on the run there. Good serve. 30-30. Mishit return. 40-30. Game RF.

4-5, RF.

Rafa to serve. This is a real dog fight, I'm afraid. Rafa needs to hold to stay in the set. John McEnroe is in the stands, next to Prince Albert. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Adjusts socks and such, ready to go. Mishit BH return. 15-0. FH winner by RF. The commentators are on RF's side. Grrrrr. They are saying RF is playing much better than yesterday. Let. I have to agree with them, unfortunately. 15-15. Rafa hits BH long. He's pressing a bit. 15-30. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Vamos!!! Ace. Yells Vamos!!! 30-30. FH winner. Rafa had to win that point several times. 40-30. Volley winer by Rafa. Game Rafa.

5-5.

RF to serve. Commentators did like the way Rafa played the last game. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Rafa misses FH. 15-0. BH just wide. 30-0. BH mishit. 30-15. Fault. Return into net. 40-15. Let. Fault. High BH goes wide. 40-30. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Game RF.

5-6, RF.

Rafa to serve to take it to a TB. This is not going to be easy to handle for any fans. This first set is crucial. Adjusts socks and spits. Rafa hits volley long. 0-15. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Vamos!!! Showing Toni. RF misses FH. 15-15. BH miss by Rafa. 15-30. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Vamos!!! This is danger time. RF misses BH. Wish the commentators would stop saying "what a shame." 30-30. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Vamos!!! FH goes long. 40-30. Great point, with RF winning it. Deuce. Keep fighting, Rafa!!! Vamos!!! Fault. Let. BP for RF. Come on, Rafa!!! BH goes long. Deuce. Another set point for RF. Come on, Rafa!!! This is so nerve-wracking. Fault. I can just imagine how Rafa feels. RF misses BH. Deuce. Come on, Rafa!!! FH winner. Ad Rafa. Come on, Rafa!!! Fault. Great second serve. Game Rafa. On to the tiebreak.

6-6, Tiebreak.

I think I'll just post highlights re TB. This is too nerve-wracking. 2-0, RF. 3-0, RF. He's picking up his level here. Rafa overruled fault. Fed has Rafa on the run. 4-0, RF. Not much Rafa can do at the moment. Ace. 5-0. Rafa misses FH. 6-0. More set points for RF. Rafa is getting outplayed right now. RF wins the tiebreak at love.