Federer fights back to reach Halle final
World number three overcomes defending champion Haas 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
World number three Federer edged closer to his first title of the season when he beat defending champion Haas 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Halle Open semi-final yesterday. PHOTO: AFP
HALLE:
Swiss star Roger Federer moved to within a match of securing his first title of the year as he avenged his defeat in last year’s Halle final, beating veteran German Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the last-four of this year’s renewal.
Federer, 31 and ranked third in the world, will face Russian Mikhail Youzhny in today’s final, which will be his eighth at the tournament which he has won five times.
Federer said that it had been terrific to have such a hard match after his quarter-final which had seen him breeze through 6-0, 6-0 against Haas’s compatriot Mischa Zverev.
“It was a great match for me to play and to win, Tommy can play really well here and we saw it last year,” said Federer.
“Clearly I wasn’t sure how well I was really playing coming into the semis. Happily I was able to maintain a really high level of play.
“After losing the first set, there is not much margin for error anymore.
“I might be broken once by him and that could be it. He won most of the big points in the first set probably. Then in the second and third I was able to turn it around and win big points myself.
“So it is a big win for me and I think the quality of the game was extremely high.”
Federer was adamant that he was not a fading force.
“Honestly I’m playing pretty good for a long period of time.
“Clearly, I’m very happy to play the final tomorrow (today). It is a big final for me. After this we’ll focus on Wimbledon.”
Battling it out on the court
Haas, four years Federer’s senior but who is enjoying something of a renaissance on court in his old age, won the first set in just over half-an-hour profiting from 10 unforced errors by Federer.
Federer, though, hit back early in the second set, breaking Haas in the second game and while the German saved two more break points at 5-2 down, Federer easily served out for the set in the following game.
It was a similar story in the deciding set as Haas contributed to his own downfall serving two successive double faults allowing Federer to go 2-1 up, an advantage he never let slip as he wrapped up victory on his second match point.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2013.
Swiss star Roger Federer moved to within a match of securing his first title of the year as he avenged his defeat in last year’s Halle final, beating veteran German Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the last-four of this year’s renewal.
Federer, 31 and ranked third in the world, will face Russian Mikhail Youzhny in today’s final, which will be his eighth at the tournament which he has won five times.
Federer said that it had been terrific to have such a hard match after his quarter-final which had seen him breeze through 6-0, 6-0 against Haas’s compatriot Mischa Zverev.
“It was a great match for me to play and to win, Tommy can play really well here and we saw it last year,” said Federer.
“Clearly I wasn’t sure how well I was really playing coming into the semis. Happily I was able to maintain a really high level of play.
“After losing the first set, there is not much margin for error anymore.
“I might be broken once by him and that could be it. He won most of the big points in the first set probably. Then in the second and third I was able to turn it around and win big points myself.
“So it is a big win for me and I think the quality of the game was extremely high.”
Federer was adamant that he was not a fading force.
“Honestly I’m playing pretty good for a long period of time.
“Clearly, I’m very happy to play the final tomorrow (today). It is a big final for me. After this we’ll focus on Wimbledon.”
Battling it out on the court
Haas, four years Federer’s senior but who is enjoying something of a renaissance on court in his old age, won the first set in just over half-an-hour profiting from 10 unforced errors by Federer.
Federer, though, hit back early in the second set, breaking Haas in the second game and while the German saved two more break points at 5-2 down, Federer easily served out for the set in the following game.
It was a similar story in the deciding set as Haas contributed to his own downfall serving two successive double faults allowing Federer to go 2-1 up, an advantage he never let slip as he wrapped up victory on his second match point.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2013.