Roger Federer is to face Rafael Nadal in a final for the first time in two years.
The tennis greats on Saturday both had straight-sets wins to set up a Swiss Indoors title match that is their first on-court meeting since January last year, and first final since May 2013.
For extra emotion, the 34th chapter in their great rivalry is at Federer’s hometown tournament, where Nadal has never faced the local hero, who was once a ball boy here.
Photo: Reuters
“It’s fantastic for the fans, for the tournament ... and for both of us,” top-seeded Federer said, after easing to a 6-3, 6-4 win against unseeded Jack Sock of the US in the semi-finals. “Today I was in control, so I feel like I have a good shot tomorrow.”
Earlier, third-seeded Nadal played his best tennis of the week, beating Richard Gasquet of France 6-4, 7-6 (8/7).
“It’s another final against an amazing player,” Nadal said, adding he was excited about “an opportunity to play a match that is special.”
The 29-year-old Spaniard has a 23-10 career hold over Federer, including straight-sets wins in their last title match — the Italian Open final in May 2013 — and last competitive meeting in the Australian Open semi-finals.
Still, Nadal knows he is not favored by the surface on which they are to meet.
Federer is a six-time winner at Basel, while just one of Nadal’s 67 career titles was on indoor hard courts — in Madrid in 2005.
Federer cautioned against underestimating Nadal, who has endured several injuries since their rivalry peaked over the past decade.
After three straight three-set matches at Basel, Nadal on Saturday finally got a more straightforward win, although his problem holding serve early in sets continued.
Nadal dropped the opening game each time to Gasquet, and seemed in trouble trailing 4-3 in the first set when he called for the trainer at a changeover.
Returning with tape below his right knee, Nadal quickly recovered and broke Gasquet’s serve twice to take the first set, clinching it with a fierce forehand topspin passing shot.
Gasquet needed seven break points to take a 1-0 lead in the second, and Nadal leveled when the fifth-seeded Frenchman served for the set leading 5-4.
VALENCIA OPEN
Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday saved six match points before beating the US’ Steve Johnson 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9/8) to reach the final of the Valencia Open.
Johnson had his first match point in the 12th game of the deciding set and then led 6-3 in the tiebreaker without being able to clinch the win. Bautista Agut then set up his first match point with a backhand return winner and converted it when Johnson sent a backhand long.
“It was an incredible match,” Bautista Augut said. “It was really tough and I was really close to losing. I think today I could win, I could lose — anything was possible on the court.”
He is to play Joao Sousa in the final, after the Portuguese player beat Canada’s Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-4.
Sousa broke Pospisil in the fifth game with a deep forehand return, which forced an error as his opponent sent his forehand long. Sousa then took full control by breaking Pospisil to love at the start of the second set, and after saving two break points in the sixth game he cruised to the victory.
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