Roger Federer beat Tommy Haas in straight sets on Friday to reach his fifth straight Dubai Open final.
The top-ranked Federer never lost serve in defeating the fifth-seeded German 6-4, 7-5.
It was the Swiss star's 40th successive victory. He is six wins away from Guillermo Vilas' all-time record of 46 straight, set in 1977.
Federer will next face Mikhail Youzhny, who reached his second straight tournament final by beating Sweden's Robin Soderling 7-5, 6-2.
Haas, who won last week's ATP tournament in Memphis without facing a break point, had an early chance to break Federer in the second game of the first set and again when he had three break points in the fourth game of the second set.
But Federer played efficient if not spectacular tennis to hold off the challenge. He broke Haas in the third game of the first set and 11th game of the second.
"It was extremely physical out there tonight," Federer said. "Lots of tough points and it was very tough to get the breaks."
The Federer-Youzhny final will be a repeat of last year's semi-finals and 2005 quarter-finals, which Federer won in straight sets both times.
Youzhny has never beaten Federer, winning only two sets in eight matches.
The unseeded Youzhny, who won last week's tournament in Rotterdam and upset defending champion Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals late on Thursday, showed no signs of weariness against Soderling.
Federer said it was good to see Youzhny find some form.
"He is a great practice player, he is famous for winning against every one in practice matches, but never manages to put it together in tournaments," Federer said. "So it is good to see him put some great results together, as he did in Rotterdam last week and here."
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
RSS