Roger Federer marked his impending return to the top of the world rankings by sweeping aside second seed Grigor Dimitrov in the Rotterdam Open final.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who will be confirmed as world number one on Monday, beat world number five Dimitrov 6-2-6-2 for his 97th title.
The Bulgarian was broken in the fifth game, then on three more occasions as Federer won comfortably in 55 minutes.
“The goal at start of week was to make it to the semi-finals,” Federer said.
“This is absolutely amazing, I’m really pleased. What a fantastic week.”
It is the third time Switzerland’s Federer has won the Rotterdam event, and it takes him to within 12 titles of American Jimmy Connors, who holds the Open-era record of 109.
Federer first became world number one in February 2004, but has not topped the rankings since October 2012 and slipped to a low of 17th in January 2017.
That was after he spent six months out recovering from an operation on a knee problem.
However, he has since won eight titles, including Wimbledon last year and two Australian Opens.
At 36, he eclipses the record held by Serena Williams, who was 35 when she lost her women’s number one ranking in May 2017.
Herbert/Mahut End Unbeaten Streak; Win Rotterdam Title
Feb182018
French duo ends Marach/Pavic’s unbeaten start to the season
Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut ended Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic’s unbeaten start to the 2018 season 2-6, 6-2, 10/7 to lift the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Sunday.
The third seeds came from behind to hand the second seeds, who had won all 18 of their previous matches this season, their first defeat of 2018. Marach and Pavic had been bidding to win a fourth title of the season after earlier triumphs in Doha, Auckland and at the Australian Open, but it was the all-French duo who tasted victory after 68 minutes of play.
“[Winning for] the first time with Pierre is something great,” said Mahut. “We are pretty happy about the week, we played so many good teams, especially finally beating the undefeated team. It is something special in the final.”
Herbert and Mahut have now won 11 titles as a team, including three consecutive Masters 1000 titles in Rome, Canada and Cincinnati last season. This is also Mahut’s third title in Rotterdam, having previously lifted the trophy in 2014 (w/Llodra) and 2016 (w/Pospisil).
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Marach and Pavic started strong with two breaks of serve to secure a one-set lead, but were taken into a Match Tie-break after a vastly improved serving performance from their opponents in the second set. From there, a series of mini-breaks followed as both pairings struggled to hold serve. But, from 4/6 down, Herbert and Mahut improved their level and charged to victory, winning six of the last seven points, to take the title in the famous port city.
“They played an amazing level in the first set, we were slow to start,” admitted Herbert. “They played amazing and then we levelled it up. We played an amazing game in the beginning of the second [set] and then you go forwards into the [Match] Tie-break, it can go everywhere, but this time it was for us. We are really, really happy about the win today.
Herbert and Mahut will split $120,910 in prize money and earn 500 ATP Rankings points after their title-winning run. “Being able… to win the tournament is just an amazing feeling,” added Herbert. “[Our confidence] is going to get better, I hope, as the year will pass by.”
Did You Know? Herbert and Mahut have also ended Marach and Pavic’s impressive Match Tie-break winning streak. Before their final loss, the duo had won their past nine extended tie-breaks dating back to the Western & Southern Open in August 2017.
Mirnyi/Oswald to compete for New York title Sunday
Second seeds Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald ousted home favourites Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson 4-6, 6-4, 10/7 at the New York Open on Saturday to advance to their second final of the year (l. in Auckland).
But more notably, it secured Mirnyi his 100th combined tour-level final appearance. The Belarusian made four singles finals in his career (1-3) and will compete in his 96th doubles championship match (50-45) on Sunday.
If the 40-year-old and his partner raise the trophy in New York on Sunday, Mirnyi will have won a tour-level doubles title in 18 of the past 20 seasons. The former No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings has made at least one final in every season since 1997. Mirnyi and Oswald will play the winner between Wesley Koolhof/Artem Sitak and Radu Albot/Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Bulgarian chasing his first win over Roger Federer
Grigor Dimitrov began to make good on his enormous potential last year, claiming his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title (Cincinnati), winning the Nitto ATP Finals and finishing the year No. 3 in the ATP Rankings.
Next on his to-do list is to address the imbalance in his FedEx ATP Head-to-Head records against the game’s very best. He is 1-10 against Rafael Nadal, 1-6 against Novak Djokovic, 3-8 against Andy Murray and 0-6 against Roger Federer.
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Dimitrov has the chance to get to work Sunday in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final in Rotterdam, where he will look for his first win over two-time tournament champion Federer.
“My goal will be to win and at the same time, raise the bar even higher,” Dimitrov said. “In order for me to do that, I just need to play on the court the same way I’ve been practising. I’ll be focusing on myself, as I’ve said throughout the week.”
The Bulgarian is chasing the ninth title of his career and his first of 2018. The second seed is yet to drop a set this week in Rotterdam and is now 10-2 on the season. He reached the semi-finals of the Brisbane International (l. Kyrgios) in the first week of the season. After avenging his loss to Kyrgios in the Australian Open fourth round, he fell to Briton Kyle Edmund in four sets in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
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Federer, meanwhile, is looking to continue his unbeaten start to the 2018 season and shore up his hold on the No. 1 ATP Ranking, which he will reclaim Monday for the first time in more than five years. If Federer wins the Rotterdam title, he will be guaranteed to remain No. 1 ahead of Rafael Nadal in the lead-up to Indian Wells.
Did You Know? Dimitrov has won three of his eight ATP World Tour titles indoors: Nitto ATP Finals, Sofia (2017) and Stockholm (2013).
Austrian stays undefeated at Argentina Open, will play Bedene for title
Dominic Thiem booked a spot in his first ATP World Tour final of the season by dominating Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-1 at the Argentina Open on Saturday.
The Austrian, who won the event in 2016, has never lost a match in Buenos Aires (8-0). Thiem also moved to 4-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against the Frenchman. The pair was also set to play in the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open earlier this season before Thiem withdrew due to illness.
The World No. 6 was ruthless throughout the 62-minute match, converting on four of nine break points while not facing a break point on his own serve.
Thiem will face Aljaz Bedene, who downed Federico Delbonis 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to level their FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1. The victory dashed home fans’ hopes of an Argentine champion.
“I played really well in the first set but I dropped a little bit in the second,” Bedene said. “He played really well in that second set; all credit to him. I’m happy I managed to come through in the third. I’m serving pretty well. Not everything depends on my serve, but it helps.”
The Slovenian will be playing in his third tour-level final (2015 Chennai, 2017 Budapest) and seek his first ATP World Tour title when he meets Thiem on Sunday. Bedene also upset No.5 seed Diego Schwartzman, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals.
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After splitting the first two sets with Delbonis, Bedene broke the Argentine’s serve in the third to take a 2-1 lead. The World No.51 never looked back, winning the next four games to seal the match in one hour, 55 minutes.
“I just want to do my best tomorrow and see what happens.”
Did You Know? Thiem can make it four straight years with a tour-level title on Sunday against Bedene.
New world number one Roger Federer has reached the final of the Rotterdam Open with a straight-set win over Italian Andreas Seppi.
The 36-year-old Swiss, who has just become the oldest player to top the rankings, eased through 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Federer will face Grigor Dimitrov next, the Bulgarian having progressed following a freak injury to opponent David Goffin.
Belgian Goffin was forced to retire when the ball hit him in his left eye.
Kvitova shocks Wozniacki in Doha semis
The 27-year-old was trailing world number five Dimitrov 6-3 0-1 when the ball bounced up off his own racket and struck him, leaving him unable to continue.
Top seed Federer, who notched his 14th win from 15 matches against Seppi, will take on second seed Dimitrov in the final on Sunday.
Although not at his best, Federer broke the Italian early in the first set and faced little trouble in the second-set tie-break.
It was the perfect storyline. Kei Nishikori, who entered the inaugural New York Open without having played a tour-level match since last August due to a wrist injury, was on the verge of making his first ATP World Tour final since 2017 Buenos Aires.
But top seed Kevin Anderson had something to say about that on Saturday evening, winning six of the final seven points in their semi-final to end Nishikori’s run 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(4). The South African guaranteed his return to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings as he pursues his first ATP World Tour title since 2015 Winston-Salem.
“It feels great,” Anderson said. “I didn’t even know that going into it. I know I’ve been close for the last few months. Obviously it’s a great accomplishment being in the Top 10. I was there for just a week a couple years ago and I had a few challenges to face. But I’ve worked really, really hard to get back to this spot.”
It is the 31-year-old’s fourth tour-level final since last August (0-3). Anderson most recently fell in the final of the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune against Gilles Simon to open his 2018 ATP World Tour campaign.
Nishikori appeared to have the momentum in the third set, and a 5-1 lead in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series perhaps gave the 28-year-old the edge. But the big-serving Anderson snuffed out a break point at 3-3 with a booming ace and was the steadier player in the decisive tie-break to close out the match.
“I thought I got off to a great start,” Anderson said. “It got really close in the third set. No breaks of serve. I had to fight off one or two close serve games, but put myself in a good spot in a third-set tie-break… I’m really, really pleased to get through today.”
It was still an impressive week for Nishikori, who won the Memphis Open four straight times (2013-2016) before the tournament moved to Long Island this year. Anderson will face a familiar foe in the final.
Second seed Sam Querrey entered Saturday’s semi-finals without a FedEx ATP Head2Head series victory against Adrian Mannarino in three tries.
But Querrey turned around a streak of five consecutive sets lost against the Frenchman to eliminate the left-hander 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3, moving into his first final since winning the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex last August.
“It feels like I beat Rafa[el Nadal] out there. That guy’s always been so tricky. I know it’s my first time beating him and it feels good. I’m so happy to get through that and be in the final. I’m really excited.”
Querrey hit 21 aces to advance to his 18th ATP World Tour final (10-7). He has won his last three championship matches (2016 Delray Beach, 2017 Acapulco, 2017 Los Cabos).
At World No. 25, Mannarino remains the current highest-ranked player without an ATP World Tour title.
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“I think that he was playing well from the middle of the second set,” Mannarino said. “He took his chances in the best moments, so he deserved that win.”
Querrey leads Anderson 8-7 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the South African has triumphed three of their past four meetings. The American won their only previous match on an indoor hard court, winning their second-round battle at 2012 Memphis.
Did You Know? Kevin Anderson guaranteed his return to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since the week of 12 October 2015. If he beats Querrey on Sunday, the South African will achieve a career-best No. 9.
Petra Kvitova recovered from losing the first set to shock world number one Caroline Wozniacki and reach Sunday’s Qatar Open final.
The Czech won 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 to earn her 12th successive win and set up a final against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
It was the world number 21’s third win over a top-10 player in Doha this week.
Kvitova, 27, who won in St Petersburg two weeks ago, is continuing her comeback following six months out after a knife attack at her home in 2016.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I just came to play and I was crazy a little bit in my mind and I was playing it everywhere.”
Federer reaches final in Rotterdam
After losing the first set, Kvitova appeared set to become the latest player to lose to Australian Open champion Wozniacki during the 27-year-old’s impressive start to the season.
However, she took the second set to a tie-break, then won six consecutive points to clinch it 7-3.
“At 3-1 down, I was just really angry with myself so I just tried to hit some winners. That’s how that ended,” she said.
Kvitova then edged the final set 7-5 to set up a meeting with Muguruza, who advanced after Simona Halep withdrew on Friday with a foot injury.
Wozniacki, who has reached finals in Melbourne and Auckland this season, had the consolation of becoming only the fourth woman to earn $30m in career prize money.
“I think we played both really well and I can take a lot out of that,” the Dane said. “I just need to live and learn and try not to make the same mistake when I play her next time.”
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