French Open

Quarter-final result:

R FEDERER (Swi) v F GONZALEZ (Chi)

2-6 6-2 6-3 6-4

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the action

By David Ornstein

So there we have it. There world number one and last year's beaten finalist is through to the last four. Next up for Federer is the winner of the match currently on Chatrier - Gael Monfils against David Ferrer.

Many believe this will be Roger's year to usurp Rafa Nadal and complete the career Grand Slam by winning Roland Garros. Only time will tell.

The manner in which he lost the first set - as he did in his second round clash with Albert Montanes - will prompt concern. But he was untouchable there on in, which bodes well.

A fascinating final four days awaits.

FOURTH SET:

Federer 6-4 Gonzalez
A little fist pump tells you that's game set and match, which Fed closes out with a love service game.

"David, the camera just switched bloke in the crowd with a Fed cap on who I'm sure was poker player Daniel Negreanu. Can this be confirmed?"
Annon via text on 81111

Your guess is as good as mine my friend!

Federer 5-4 Gonzalez
Easy as you like. Gonzo romps through to love but would you bet against him breaking the world number one as he serves for the match? It would be mighty interesting if he did.

Federer 5-3 Gonzalez
The more entertaining rally of the match takes Fed to 30-0. It looks like Gonzo's venomous for hand has the top seed beaten but he slides across the baseline and manages to retrieve. The exchange of several thumping forehands ends with Fed coming in and smashing past the lead-legged Gonzo.

The Chilean is now serving to stay in the match.

Federer 4-3 Gonzalez
Much more like it from Gonzo but is it too little too late? The 27-year-old enjoys playing from the baseline but he has to come in to the net and utilise the drop shot more often. He does so on this occasion and it pays off.

Federer 4-2 Gonzalez
Federer holds and the end is now within sight. Fed's serve is getting better and better so rallies are becoming shorter and shorter. Simple, hey?

Federer 3-2 Gonzalez
There is a patter emerging and it is Gonzo's job to alter that. Federer seems to take something of a breather, perhaps conserving his energy for his next service game, and this allows Gonzo to keep in touch.

But he must make inroads on the Fed serve on the Swiss is cruising into the last four.

Federer 3-1 Gonzalez
In the first set, Federer could not hold serve for lone nor money. Now, he can't race through his service games quick enough. I could be proved wrong but I can't see him being broken, which suggests a 2-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory is on the card.

"You've got to execute your shots against Federer, you can't have down time. If you don't maintain your highest standards against Federer he will punish you and that's what he's doing here. Gonzalez has been a little bit too submissive for me."
Mark Petchey on BBCi

Federer 2-1 Gonzalez
So dominant is Fed becoming on his own serve, it has been clear for a while that this match will be decided by how Gonzo fares on his. And it malfunctions to hand Federer what could prove the decisive break of serve

Federer 1-1 Gonzalez
Bish bash bosh. Game Federer. The world number one showed exactly why he is just that and, to be honest, stem rollered through the game faster than I could type!

Federer 0-1 Gonzalez
Gonzo has switched from a red shirt to a black one and, allied to his matching bandana and long-ish hair, he is showing a striking resemblance to his opponent.

And any attempts to start playing like his opponent begin well.

"I really think Gonzalez needs to revert to what he was doing at the beginning if he is to have any chance of winning. If you give these guys - Federer, Nadal, Djokovic - time on the ball the will punish you."
Mark Petchey on BBCi

1630: Gonzalez has called for the trainer and is having some pretty intense treatment on his right shoulder. Those booming serves must be taking their toll.

THIRD SET:

Federer 6-3 Gonzalez
It's a while since I've heard Federer yell "C'mon" so loud, but he is delighted to have taken a 2-1 lead given his dreadful start.

He sprints to 40-0 and then after Gonzo gets one point back, sends down his 10th ace of the day and the set is his.

Federer 5-3 Gonzalez
Not a game to write home about for either player and a litany of unforced errors ends with Fed bashing a backhand into the net. Now he's serving for the set.

"Sounds like Fed is back on track in this match...but these concentration lapses and dodgy spells in matches are a real cause for concern for his chances against Nadal in the final (should they both get there)"
MrInvisible on 606

Federer 5-2 Gonzalez
Brilliant stuff from Fed. Against most other players (Rafa and Novak aside) Gonzalez would be in contention for this set but Federer punishes his every error and then sends down a thumping serve or two.

A break will see him take the set and a 2-1 lead.

Federer 4-2 Gonzalez
For years now, unforced errors have all too often blighted Gonzo's game and they are starting to come through again today. He earns himself 30-0 but then sends a routine forehand volley wide.

Then, on game point, he plays into the tramlines to give Federer deuce and does the same to face an advantage against.

Federer clearly wants to wrap up the set sooner rather than later but Gonzo is not going to lay down and die. He saves a couple more break points before battling his way to the game.

Federer 4-1 Gonzalez
That was Federer's most impressive game yet... well, from what I've seen since our TV stream was established.

On a number of occasions he simply outwitted Gonzo by shaping to play cross court and then whipping his forehand down the line like only Federer can do. He closes out with an ace.

This is all going Roger's way now.

Federer 3-1 Gonzalez
Gonzalez has been working hard on his sliced serve in recent times and it shows as he repeatedly sends Fed wide before firing winners with his punishing forehand. He's back in the set but Federer is improving all the time.

Federer 3-0 Gonzalez
Cool, calm and collected, Federer eases through the game as Gonzo is left to rue a succession of unforced errors.

Federer 2-0 Gonzalez
Losing the first set really got Fed's back up and he has not played more aggressively than this all tournament. His early domination of the Gonzo serve prompts the Chilean to smash his racket to smithereens and earn a code of conduct violation.

Gonzo hangs on with some scrambling retrieves, helped by the sliced backhand he as worked so hard on with Stefanki, but Fed is getting better and better.

It will take some effort for Gonzo to turn the tide.

Federer 1-0 Gonzalez
Gonzalez goes to 40-0 on Fed's serve but the world number one rallies, saving the first two break points before a truly brilliant point takes us to deuce.

Fed comes to the net but Gonzo's bullet forehand takes him by surprise and his volley just catches the baseline. Gonzalez lobs and Federer's smash is retrieved - Gonzo almost leaping into the crowd. Gonzo lobs twice more and retrieve's Fed's smash on one of the two occasions but cannot do so second time round.

Fed then serves out to take a 1-0 lead. This is terrific stuff.

SECOND SET:

Federer 6-2 Gonzalez
Despite still being some way from his best form, Fed races to 40-0 on the Gonzo serve and wraps up the set at the first attempt. It seemed as though Gonzo knew the game was up and so began to conserve his energies for what promises to be an epic third set.

Federer 5-2 Gonzalez
Our TV stream arrives with a Federer ace, which takes him within a break of the second set.

Federer 4-2 Gonzalez
But Gonzo is hanging in there.

Announcement: I now have a TV stream of the match and so the coverage should, I hope, improve markedly.

Federer 4-1 Gonzalez
Fed holds with consummate ease.

Federer 3-1 Gonzalez
Federer finds his form, racing to 40-0 on the Gonzalez serve. He takes the first of his three break points and now the second set is firmly in the world number one's hands.

Federer 2-1 Gonzalez
Top seed Fed is taken to deuce but comes through to keep his neck ahead in this set.

The 26-year-old Swiss lost the first set of his second round against Albert Montanes but stormed through to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-0 6-4.

"Gonzalez is really coming into some amazing form in this tournament, and I can only see a final between him and Rafa ahead."
From Rebecca via text on 81111

Federer 1-1 Gonzalez
Fernando survives a scare as Fed battles back to take him to deuce. But the number 24 seed powers through to level things up.

"Federer is going out. Its changing of the guard time in terms of the Fed reigning supreme."
From Donna via text on 81111

Federer 1-0 Gonzalez
This match seems to be flying by but Fed brings some calm to proceedings by holding serve for only the second time.

Unfortunately, I'm still without TV pictures so I'll try my best to keep you as updated as possible but my hands are tied behind my back a little.

FIRST SET:

Federer 2-6 Gonzalez
The crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen responds with a mixture of disbelief (the Fed fans) and elation (the Gonzo fans) as the Chilean snaps up the first set in no time at all.

Federer 2-5 Gonzalez
I apologise to any of you who feel I was being anti-Federer when I said "to compound our woes" Federer has been broken. I meant that, because I didn't have TV images, it was compounding ours woes that Roger had been broken. I love the man!

But he's been broken again and now Gonzalez is serving for the set.

Federer 2-4 Gonzalez
Fernando holds serve and, in the blink of an eye, he is closing in on the first set.

For a few minutes I had a TV stream, but low and behold it's gone again.

Federer 2-3 Gonzalez
And there's me getting ahead of myself. Gonzalez, known for his thunderous forehand and devastating serve, breaks again.

This sounds like an epic already... but still I'm without a TV stream so my apologies once more.

"Assuming Federer does reach the final (which is by no means certain), he will probably push Nadal in a few sets but will suffer the same mental collapse that he has done practically every time he's played the Spaniard on clay."CF01 on 606>
Join the debate on 606

And don't forget your texts on 81111.

Federer 2-2 Gonzalez
It's break back time for the world number one. Fed races to 15-40 on the Gonzo serve and, although the Chilean pulls a point back, Fed steams through to level things up. That's more like it, old chap.

Federer 1-2 Gonzalez
Normal service resumed as Fed cruises through his second service game to 15. But the world number one is already a break down and, obviously, that could prove costly. Again, I'm so so so so so sorry but I have no pictures as yet and so that's why the game descriptions may be more than a tad limited.

Federer 0-2 Gonzalez
Despite being taken to deuce by the Fed, Fernando holds to well and truly set the early pace.

1504: Until we get some TV pictures... it has just been brought to my attention that Gonzalez is coached by Larry Stefanki, whose stable of past players includes John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Tim Henman and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the 1996 champion at Roland Garros.

Gonzalez loves the clay, which makes it surprising that he has only contested one previous French Open quarter-final, in 2003.

And the 27-year-old has not exactly sailed through this year, coming back from two sets and 3-0 down against Stanislas Wawrinka 5-7 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-4.

Federer 0-1 Gonzalez
To compound our woes, Federer was broken first game! This is not good and, again, my sincerest apologies.

1501: We're underway, although I'm sorry to tell you there is no live TV stream of the match just yet.

1500: One article I read today said Gonzalez would provide Roger's first "big test" at this year's French Open but I'd beg to differ.

Top seed Fed produced a stunning display to dispatch Mario Ancic - aka Baby Goran and certainly no mug on clay - in the third round.

Then, without necessarily hitting his best form against France's Julien Benneteau, who benefited from some vocal home support, he again came through in straight sets to reach the last eight.

Things haven't exactly gone to plan for Fed so far this season but I really feel he is coming good just at the right time. That said, I could be proved wrong in the next couple of hours.

And, more importantly, I'd like to know your thoughts via 606 or text message (81111).
Join the debate on 606

1455: Who's up for a slice of world number one action?

Roger Federer, the man with a career Grand Slam in his sights, is back on court today and I'm here to guide you through his duel with Chile's Fernando Gonzalez.

Federer's record of 10 wins in 11 meetings with Gonzalez would suggest only one outcome.

But Gonzalez won their last match, at the 2007 Masters Cup in Shanghai, so this could get tasty.