FEDERER SETS UP NADAL SF AFTER COMEBACK WIN.
Roger Federer clinched a spot in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday afternoon.
The sixth seed and six-time former champion battled back from a 0-3 deficit in the third set to beat fourth seed and 2009 runner-up Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 to finish in second position in Group B for a clash against top seed and 2010 finalist Rafael Nadal on Sunday.
Nadal leads Federer 21-10 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and has won their past three matches at the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, all this year.
Federer improved to a 45-16 match record on the season and has now qualified for the semi-finals at the prestigious event in 11 of the past 12 years (except 2008). He has a 4-0 mark against Nadal at the season finale, including two wins each at Shanghai and London.
Del Potro broke Federer in the first and fifth games of the first set, as Federer committed seven forehand errors to trail 1-5. Federer staged a rousing comeback, but despite hitting 15 winners and clinching nine of 10 net points won, del Potro saved two break points to seal the 41-minute opener.
Del Potro seized control of their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting in as many weeks (also Basel and Paris) when Federer hit a backhand into the net at 1-1, 15/40. Federer walked to his chair with his head bowed.
It proved to be a temporary blip as Federer broke del Potro to love in the sixth game after a double fault. Without any further chances against serve, a tie-break was inevitable. Federer opened up a 4-1 lead in the tie-break and clinched the 50-minute set with his seventh ace.
With del Potro serving first in the decider, the pressure was on Federer. When he buckled in the second game at 15/40, after he struck his 18th forehand error, del Potro went on to take a 3-0 lead.
"I was probably slightly angry more than thinking it's going to be over soon," said Federer, when asked about how he felt at 0-3 in the third set. "It's one of those moments today, because I kind of fought back the whole match – the first, second set. Here we go again."
But Federer drew on his reserves to fight back to 3-3 for a very tense finale.
At 5-5, 15/40, del Potro mis-timed a forehand to gift Federer the chance to serve for the match. Federer saved a break point in the next game and clinched victory with his 10th ace. The match lasted two hours and 26 minutes.
"I wasn't in many of Juan Martin's service games, so I kind of felt like probably I will get one more chance to break back. It's exactly what happened," said Federer. "Once on even terms, I was able to play a little bit more freely.
"For the first time I was almost feeling like I was kind of in the lead. [It was a] great finish. I was very happy. To get the victory was a great feeling, so I was very happy."
Federer hit 13 of his 39 winners in the third set, when he lost four of his first service points.
"I think I got two chances to win the match," said del Potro. "I broke his serve in the second set and in the third one. But he played great when I was up, and he deserved to come back in both sets. But at the end, when you have to be focus and find the winners, I made the mistakes and he was there really focused to take the chance. I think that was the key of the match."
AT A GLANCE
(6) Roger Federer d. (4) Juan Martin del Potro 46 76(2) 75
Six-time Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion Roger Federer rallied to defeat Juan Martin del Potro 46 76(2) 75 to earn the last semi-final spot. Federer will take on No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic will face No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka in the semi-finals on Sunday.
This is the 11th time in 12 years (except ’08) the Swiss native has earned a spot in the semi-finals. Ivan Lendl holds the record for most semi-final appearances (12) in the season finale.
The 32-year-old Swiss native is the oldest to reach the semi-finals in the season finale since Andre AgassI (33) in 2003. Agassi lost to Federer in the final
This is also the second time the Big 3 of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have reached the semi-finals together at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. In 2010, Federer defeated Djokovic and Nadal beat Andy Murray in the semi-finals. Federer defeated Nadal in the final.
This was the third meeting in as many weeks between del Potro and Federer, who has an overall 15-5 head-to-head advantage. Their last seven meetings have come down to a decisive set (third or fifth) with Federer prevailing four times.
On Sunday, Nadal and Federer will square off for the 32nd time (Nadal leads 21-10) and the Spaniard has won the past three meetings this season. They will meet for the fifth time in the season finale and Federer has won the previous four meetings in 2006 (SF), ’07 (SF), ’10 (Final) and ’11 (RR). Federer has won eight of the nine sets.
The Argentine, who reached the final at The O2 in 2009 (l. to Davydenko) and semi-finals last year (l. to Djokovic), finishes the season with a 51-16 match record and four ATP World Tour titles. He will finish No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2009.
http://www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/news-and-media/tennis/del-potro-federer-barclays-atp-world-tour-finals-saturday-2013
DJOKOVIC BEATS GASQUET; PLAYS WAWRINKA IN SFS
Novak Djokovic completes Group B with a 3-0 record on Saturday night at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The second seed and 2008/2012 champion improved to 10-1 lifetime against eighth seed Richard Gasquet, a two-time qualifier for the season finale, with a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 victory at The O2 in London.
Djokovic, already assured of his semi-final qualification ahead of the final round robin match, extended his winning streak to 20 matches with victory in two hours and eight minutes. He is now 70-9 on the season, which includes six titles.
He plays seventh seed Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday night at 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET.
Djokovic started with a bang against Gasquet, striking a smash for a winner on the first of his two break point opportunities in the opening game. When the Serbian served for the set at 5-3 though, he dropped to 0/40 and could not salvage the game.
Gasquet showed his frustration at 2-5 in the tie-break, having lost three straight points, as he thumped his racquet on his thigh. Djokovic earned three set points with a delicate drop shot, but faced an anxious wait before finally clinching the 48-minute set by virtue of a backhand down the line, followed by a backhand volley into space.
Silence descended on The O2 arena when Djokovic was broken to 30 in the third game of the second set. When Gasquet’s first serve deserted him at 3-2, he was helped out of trouble by three groundstroke errors from Djokovic. But he held his nerve to win his first set against Djokovic since November 2007, when the event was played in Shanghai.
Djokovic patiently rallied with Gasquet waiting for the opening in the second set. When it came on Gasquet’s serve, at 0-1, 30/40, with an off-balance crosscourt backhand from the Frenchman, it led Djokovic to play with renewed vigour. Djokovic hit 13 of his 30 total winners in the decider.
Gasquet completed his season with a 50-23 mark, having won three ATP World Tour titles for the first time in seven years. The 27 year old has finished in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the second year in a row.
AT A GLANCE
(2) Novak Djokovic d. (8) Richard Gasquet 76(5) 46 63
Reigning Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion Novak Djokovic won his 20th match in a row, defeating Richard Gasquet 76(5) 46 63 in the final Group B round robin match. Djokovic has an eight-match winning streak at The O2 and this is the second year in a row he’s completed round robin play undefeated.
Djokovic notched his 70th match win of the season for the third year in a row. This is the third-longest match winning streak of Djokovic’s career. He compiled a 43-match winning streak in 2010-11 and 22 in 2012-13.
The World No. 2 won his 17th career match in the season finale and he moved ahead of Hall-of-Famers Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas for 10th place on the all-time tournament match wins list. Djokovic is also 9-2 in three-set matches in the tournament.
Djokovic improved to 10-1 lifetime against Gasquet (3-0 this year). On Sunday, he will face No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka for the fourth time this season and 17th time overall. Djokovic owns a 14-2 head-to-head record, winning the past 13 meetings.
Gasquet, who was appearing in the season finale for the second time (2007), finished Group B with an 0-3 round robin record. He will finish as the top Frenchman for the first time since ’07 at No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.
http://www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/news-and-media/tennis/djokovic-gasquet-barclays-atp-world-tour-finals-saturday-2013
Roger Federer clinched a spot in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday afternoon.
The sixth seed and six-time former champion battled back from a 0-3 deficit in the third set to beat fourth seed and 2009 runner-up Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 to finish in second position in Group B for a clash against top seed and 2010 finalist Rafael Nadal on Sunday.
Nadal leads Federer 21-10 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and has won their past three matches at the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, all this year.
Federer improved to a 45-16 match record on the season and has now qualified for the semi-finals at the prestigious event in 11 of the past 12 years (except 2008). He has a 4-0 mark against Nadal at the season finale, including two wins each at Shanghai and London.
Del Potro broke Federer in the first and fifth games of the first set, as Federer committed seven forehand errors to trail 1-5. Federer staged a rousing comeback, but despite hitting 15 winners and clinching nine of 10 net points won, del Potro saved two break points to seal the 41-minute opener.
Del Potro seized control of their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting in as many weeks (also Basel and Paris) when Federer hit a backhand into the net at 1-1, 15/40. Federer walked to his chair with his head bowed.
It proved to be a temporary blip as Federer broke del Potro to love in the sixth game after a double fault. Without any further chances against serve, a tie-break was inevitable. Federer opened up a 4-1 lead in the tie-break and clinched the 50-minute set with his seventh ace.
With del Potro serving first in the decider, the pressure was on Federer. When he buckled in the second game at 15/40, after he struck his 18th forehand error, del Potro went on to take a 3-0 lead.
"I was probably slightly angry more than thinking it's going to be over soon," said Federer, when asked about how he felt at 0-3 in the third set. "It's one of those moments today, because I kind of fought back the whole match – the first, second set. Here we go again."
But Federer drew on his reserves to fight back to 3-3 for a very tense finale.
At 5-5, 15/40, del Potro mis-timed a forehand to gift Federer the chance to serve for the match. Federer saved a break point in the next game and clinched victory with his 10th ace. The match lasted two hours and 26 minutes.
"I wasn't in many of Juan Martin's service games, so I kind of felt like probably I will get one more chance to break back. It's exactly what happened," said Federer. "Once on even terms, I was able to play a little bit more freely.
"For the first time I was almost feeling like I was kind of in the lead. [It was a] great finish. I was very happy. To get the victory was a great feeling, so I was very happy."
Federer hit 13 of his 39 winners in the third set, when he lost four of his first service points.
"I think I got two chances to win the match," said del Potro. "I broke his serve in the second set and in the third one. But he played great when I was up, and he deserved to come back in both sets. But at the end, when you have to be focus and find the winners, I made the mistakes and he was there really focused to take the chance. I think that was the key of the match."
AT A GLANCE
(6) Roger Federer d. (4) Juan Martin del Potro 46 76(2) 75
Six-time Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion Roger Federer rallied to defeat Juan Martin del Potro 46 76(2) 75 to earn the last semi-final spot. Federer will take on No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic will face No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka in the semi-finals on Sunday.
This is the 11th time in 12 years (except ’08) the Swiss native has earned a spot in the semi-finals. Ivan Lendl holds the record for most semi-final appearances (12) in the season finale.
The 32-year-old Swiss native is the oldest to reach the semi-finals in the season finale since Andre AgassI (33) in 2003. Agassi lost to Federer in the final
This is also the second time the Big 3 of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have reached the semi-finals together at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. In 2010, Federer defeated Djokovic and Nadal beat Andy Murray in the semi-finals. Federer defeated Nadal in the final.
This was the third meeting in as many weeks between del Potro and Federer, who has an overall 15-5 head-to-head advantage. Their last seven meetings have come down to a decisive set (third or fifth) with Federer prevailing four times.
On Sunday, Nadal and Federer will square off for the 32nd time (Nadal leads 21-10) and the Spaniard has won the past three meetings this season. They will meet for the fifth time in the season finale and Federer has won the previous four meetings in 2006 (SF), ’07 (SF), ’10 (Final) and ’11 (RR). Federer has won eight of the nine sets.
The Argentine, who reached the final at The O2 in 2009 (l. to Davydenko) and semi-finals last year (l. to Djokovic), finishes the season with a 51-16 match record and four ATP World Tour titles. He will finish No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2009.
http://www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/news-and-media/tennis/del-potro-federer-barclays-atp-world-tour-finals-saturday-2013
DJOKOVIC BEATS GASQUET; PLAYS WAWRINKA IN SFS
Novak Djokovic completes Group B with a 3-0 record on Saturday night at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The second seed and 2008/2012 champion improved to 10-1 lifetime against eighth seed Richard Gasquet, a two-time qualifier for the season finale, with a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 victory at The O2 in London.
Djokovic, already assured of his semi-final qualification ahead of the final round robin match, extended his winning streak to 20 matches with victory in two hours and eight minutes. He is now 70-9 on the season, which includes six titles.
He plays seventh seed Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday night at 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET.
Djokovic started with a bang against Gasquet, striking a smash for a winner on the first of his two break point opportunities in the opening game. When the Serbian served for the set at 5-3 though, he dropped to 0/40 and could not salvage the game.
Gasquet showed his frustration at 2-5 in the tie-break, having lost three straight points, as he thumped his racquet on his thigh. Djokovic earned three set points with a delicate drop shot, but faced an anxious wait before finally clinching the 48-minute set by virtue of a backhand down the line, followed by a backhand volley into space.
Silence descended on The O2 arena when Djokovic was broken to 30 in the third game of the second set. When Gasquet’s first serve deserted him at 3-2, he was helped out of trouble by three groundstroke errors from Djokovic. But he held his nerve to win his first set against Djokovic since November 2007, when the event was played in Shanghai.
Djokovic patiently rallied with Gasquet waiting for the opening in the second set. When it came on Gasquet’s serve, at 0-1, 30/40, with an off-balance crosscourt backhand from the Frenchman, it led Djokovic to play with renewed vigour. Djokovic hit 13 of his 30 total winners in the decider.
Gasquet completed his season with a 50-23 mark, having won three ATP World Tour titles for the first time in seven years. The 27 year old has finished in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the second year in a row.
AT A GLANCE
(2) Novak Djokovic d. (8) Richard Gasquet 76(5) 46 63
Reigning Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion Novak Djokovic won his 20th match in a row, defeating Richard Gasquet 76(5) 46 63 in the final Group B round robin match. Djokovic has an eight-match winning streak at The O2 and this is the second year in a row he’s completed round robin play undefeated.
Djokovic notched his 70th match win of the season for the third year in a row. This is the third-longest match winning streak of Djokovic’s career. He compiled a 43-match winning streak in 2010-11 and 22 in 2012-13.
The World No. 2 won his 17th career match in the season finale and he moved ahead of Hall-of-Famers Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas for 10th place on the all-time tournament match wins list. Djokovic is also 9-2 in three-set matches in the tournament.
Djokovic improved to 10-1 lifetime against Gasquet (3-0 this year). On Sunday, he will face No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka for the fourth time this season and 17th time overall. Djokovic owns a 14-2 head-to-head record, winning the past 13 meetings.
Gasquet, who was appearing in the season finale for the second time (2007), finished Group B with an 0-3 round robin record. He will finish as the top Frenchman for the first time since ’07 at No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.
http://www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/news-and-media/tennis/djokovic-gasquet-barclays-atp-world-tour-finals-saturday-2013
