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Federer crushes Seppi to reach hometown quarters

France’s Jeremy Chardy returns to James Blake of the US during their first round match at the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday. PHOTO: EPA

Roger Federer took just an hour to crush Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-3 for a sixth straight victory against the Italian to reach the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors on Wednesday.

The top seed, a hometown hero at the St Jakobshalle, was invincible as he reached the last eight, winning his 17th straight match in Basel and his 57th of the season. The winner of the last three editions has not been defeated at the tournament since 2003 when he lost to Ivan Ljubicic, who went out on Wednesday having come to the tournament in form having won the Lyon title last Sunday.

“It was a straightforward match, similar to my first round, but tonight I had to save break points, it was a bit tougher,” a relaxed Federer said.

Federer saved two break points in the routine win, with Seppi yet to win a set in their encounters. The Swiss improved to a 31-6 record in his career playing at home and has now won 36 of his last 37 matches.

Federer will await a winner from Russian Evgeny Korolev and France’s Jeremy Chardy, who beat slumping James Blake of the US 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 6-4.

Croatian fourth seed Marin Cilic stayed in touch for a possible place in the year-end final as he began with a defeat of Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 6-4. The German, also a first-round loser last week in Vienna.

Richard Gasquet was also in action and qualified for the second round with victory over Argentine Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.

Gasquet earned a narrow win over the 42nd-ranked Zeballos with nine aces, saving both break points against his serve. The Frenchman finally won a match after losing five of his previous eight, with the victory snapping a two-match losing streak in first rounds.

Cilic, losing finalist at the weekend in Austria to home favorite Jurgen Melzer, needs a massive performance in the last three weeks of the regular ATP season if he is to make a run for the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London from Nov. 22. The Croatian remains provisional 12th in the sprint for the last two spots in the year-end field, needing to nudge in front of provisional eight-placed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

Cilic will face his second-round challenge against Serbian Viktor Troicki.

Swiss sixth seed Stanislas Wawrinka beat Ljubicic 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 despite dealing with a shoulder problem for which he received treatment on court.

Czech Radek Stepanek joined Federer in the last eight, defeating Florent Serra of France 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/1).



■VALENCIA OPEN

REUTERS, VALENCIA, SPAIN

Fourth seed Fernando Verdasco advanced to the second round of the Valencia Open on Wednesday after Spanish compatriot Oscar Hernandez retired with back trouble.

A dominant Verdasco was leading 6-1, 0-1 when Hernandez called it a day.

Verdasco will play Janko Tipsarevic in the second round after the Serb defeated Victor Hanescu 6-4, 6-3.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s hopes of making the cut for London suffered a setback when a left wrist injury forced the third seed to retire from his first-round match. He was trailing Mikhail Youzhny 6-7, 6-0, 3-0.

Tsonga’s compatriot Gilles Simon battled past Czech Tomas Berdych in the second round 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Gael Monfils, another Frenchman, had his hopes of a place in London squashed by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the Spaniard winning 6-2, 7-5.
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