The Australian Open men's semifinals are played on consecutive evenings at 7:30 p.m local time, which tends to enhance the significance of each one, as if the tournament really offered three finals. It's great box office and also excellent preparation for contenders who haven't been dazzled by the bright lights.
Even though one man in Friday's semifinal has far more experience than the other, neither has seemed fazed by the spotlight so far. That surely has to help the underdog in this matchup. Or will it?
No. 2 seed Roger Federer vs. No. 58 Hyeon Chung (first meeting)
Hyeon Chung is new to the semifinal stage, but he couldn't have had better prep work for his first meeting with The Mighty Fed. Chung dumped six-time champion Novak Djokovic out of the tournament in the fourth round, then kept his composure in a potentially nerve-wracking battle with Tennys Sandgren. Chung is as ready as you can expect for a 21-year-old whose only tournament win thus far came at the experimental ATP Nextgen Finals, an event for players 21 and under that employed an abbreviated scoring system and one that was without Alexander Zverev, the game's highest-ranked up-and-comer. Chung has come a long way in some 11 days.
Chung is Djokovic-esque when it comes to his ability and willingness to rally, run and stretch to make unbelievable shots. In his previous round, when on-court interviewer Jim Courier asked Chung how he was able to develop that capacity, the South Korean was disarmingly honest: "I don't know. When I was young, I just trying to copy Novak because he's my idol."
The way Chung shattered his former idol earned him headlines, but the reality is that he started the tournament facing as tough a draw as any other player. He caught a break when Mischa Zverev (who eliminated Andy Murray in Melbourne in a sensational upset last year) had to retire from their first-round encounter. But then Chung had to get by fellow rising star Daniil Medvedev (who won the Sydney tournament to start his year) followed by Zverev's more accomplished brother, No. 4 seed Alexander.
It's ironic because all those "tough draw" headlines were written for Federer this year. Yet upsets paved Fed's way through a host of manageable matches. It's a far cry from last year, when his run to the championship included a bitterly fought, five-set, fourth-round battle with No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori. This year he has yet to drop a set. What's the difference? "This year I wake up and walk normally," Federer said in an on-court interview. "Last year, I was like, 'Oh my god, my back, my leg, my foot' -- whatever was hurting."
Federer will need all the spring stored in those fresh legs. He knows Chung, like Djokovic, has a talent for getting extra balls back, and that can change the entire complexion of a match. Federer learned that the hard way, losing his past four Grand Slam matches to Djokovic, who might be the main reason Federer was denied a major title for more than four years. With Djokovic out last year, Federer feasted.
Federer has reaped great rewards with a retooled, attacking game.
"One thing I know is I'm going to be playing aggressive," Federer told the media Wednesday. "I don't know how I'm going to do that exactly yet." He admitted that he hadn't studied Chung's game at that point but would focus on how he serves and returns.
Chung returns well, but he admits that he is still a work-in-progress. Before the tournament began, he told ESPN.com, "I think I still need to work on my serve and forehand, especially my serve."
On the plus side for Chung, he has been transitioning from defense to offense more readily and comfortably, even approaching the net to "save energy" more than before. He's an athletic, muscular 6-foot-2. Perhaps, like Djokovic, he can win the battle to take time away from his opponent at least some of the time.
"Experience" isn't a very provocative talking point, but the deeper a rising player goes in a Grand Slam, the more it begins to matter. Chung has been only as far as the third round at one major, so all this is new to him. Never having played Federer before, he will have to adjust to a few unique elements. For one, there will be the usual Federer worship in the galleries, which can be quite unnerving. Then there's this often overlooked quality of the sheer pace of play Federer forces.
Fatigue isn't likely to be an issue because Federer has cruised into the semis, and Chung is fit and durable.
"I think I'm not tired because I win," Chung said after beating Sandgren. "When I win the match against a top player, I'm never tired. Just happy, no?"
He's sure to feel spent if he loses to Federer. But either way, he will have reason to leave Australia feeling happy.