Roger Federer extended his dominance over Andy Roddick on Saturday, notching his 20th win in 22 meetings against the American as he won 6-2, 6-4 to reach the final of the Swiss Indoors.
Federer was to face titleholder Novak Djokovic yesterday in a repeat of last year’s final after the world No. 3 beat Victor Troicki 7-6, 6-4 after his fellow Serb squandered three chances to win the first set.
Federer and Roddick were meeting for the first time since their epic five-set Wimbledon final last year, but this time it was all over fairly quickly as Federer dominated proceedings.
Photo: EPA
Roddick struggled with his serve throughout and was broken in the second game, allowing Federer to take control.
Federer saved two break points in the fifth game before serving four consecutive aces in his next service game. He then wrapped up the set by breaking Roddick again in the next game, closing it with a stunning forehand from the baseline.
Federer briefly showed signs of nerves as he was broken at the start of the second set.
Photo: AFP
But Roddick’s revival ended in the sixth game when his serve got him into trouble again and, although he saved two break points, an over-hit backhand on the third allowed Federer to level at 3-3.
Federer then broke again in the 10th game, wrapping up the match at the first attempt with an -unstoppable cross-court winner.
Troicki blew a chance to upset Djokovic for the second time in two months.
Serving for the first set at 6-5, Troicki led 40-0, but then lost five points in a row to give Djokovic the chance of a tiebreak where he made no mistake.
Djokovic, bidding for his third ATP final of the season after Beijing and Dubai, broke in the second game of the second set and it was soon all over.
Troicki had lost his nerve against Djokovic when the pair met at the US Open, losing in five sets after he had been two sets to one ahead.
VALENCIA OPEN
Reuters, VALENCIA, Spain
David Ferrer set up a Valencia Open final against Spanish compatriot Marcel Granollers and improved his chances of making the World Tour finals when he upset second seed Robin Soderling 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Saturday.
Granollers, playing in the main draw as a lucky loser from the qualifying rounds, held his nerve to beat former world No. 6 Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 6-4.
It will be the 24-year-old Barcelona native’s second final on the ATP Tour after his only career title in Houston in 2008.
The first semi in the Mediterranean city’s cathedral-like indoor arena pitted zippy world No. 8 Ferrer against imposing Swede Soderling, ranked five, and Ferrer’s athleticism and tenacity eventually prevailed.
Valencia resident and fourth seed Ferrer started strongly and broke for a 5-3 lead before serving out the set with aplomb.
Soderling, finalist at this year’s French Open, immediately hit back, moving 3-0 ahead in the second set and going on to level the match with a combination of powerful, accurate serving and booming groundstrokes.
Ferrer grabbed the crucial break of the decider in the sixth game and sealed victory on his first match point when Soderling hit a forehand over the baseline.
The 28-year-old has a good chance of clinching one of the three remaining berths at the Nov. 21-28 Tour finals in London, for which Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Soderling have all qualified.
As of Saturday, Tomas Berdych, Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny and Juergen Melzer could still make it, with more ranking points available at next week’s Paris Masters.
Simon, ranked 52, won his seventh Tour title in Metz in September and looked to be getting back to something like his best form.
However, he hit six double faults and lost his serve four times against Granollers.
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