Tennis News

17-time Grand Slam great Roger Federer is through to another final in 2015, his first on clay this season, at the inaugural TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. He will complete his first-time campaign in Turkey against Pablo Cuevas, who also had a solid week in the Mediterranean. This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour.

Federer secured his spot in the final of the tournament when he rallied from a set down to defeat Diego Schwartzman 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. He struck six aces and secured three break point to close out the match in one hour and 55 minutes. Overall, it was a valiant effort against an inspired opponent.

“I think what was important in the third set was to keep working hard,” said Federer. “I needed to put in a lot of effort to stay with Diego.

“Cuevas is playing very, very well… I think it’s going to be a tough match. Cuevas has obviously played a lot on clay.”

In one of the bigger surprises of the day, Pablo Cuevas thrashed Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to oust the Bulgarian and secure his spot in the final of the tournament. He managed to secure five of six break points to close out the match 6-2, 6-4 in 65 minutes.

“I come from a small country, and I’m used to having the crowd against me,” said Cuevas. “Playing Roger tomorrow will be like playing Roger in his hometown.”

This is the first time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, yet it is still one that will likely favour the vastly more experienced Federer. The Grand Slam great is poised to secure another title for his collection but will need to topple a player who is a perfect 3-0 in ATP World Tour finals.

While he may have preferred some time off to watch the boxing superfight on Saturday, Andy Murray instead fended off two separate opponents that afternoon to secure a spot in his first clay court final. The Briton will come up against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, whom he has met on three previous occasions, including once this season already. Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1.

The British No. 1 advanced to the final on Saturday following two separate matches that he was forced to contest back-to-back following a rain delay that washed away Friday play. First, he rallied to defeated Lukas Rosol 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 before beating Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

“It was a tough, long day,” reflected Murray. “The first match was tough and in the second one there were some long rallies but I managed to serve quite well. Winning matches helps on any surface in building confidence and this was my first week of play since (Roland Garros) last year. It’s been 11 months since I’ve played on the surface. With each match I’ll feel a little more comfortable. Tomorrow will be a tough one. Hopefully we can both recover well and play a good match.”
The German was also forced to play two matches on Saturday. First, he beat David Goffin 2-6, 6-3 6-4 and followed up by rallying back against Gerald Melzer 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

This is just the fourth time these two competitors will cross paths on the tour, and will not be an easy contest for the British No. 1. He has been dealt no favours against his German adversary, who holds a win over Murray back in 2010 on this same surface. While Murray is capable of overcoming the tough battle, he will need to play a clean match-up and remain focused for what could be a long, grueling battle.