14th semifinal slot for the Swiss in 15 appearances
London: Roger Federer marched into the semifinals at the ATP Finals once again here Tuesday while handing out some tennis lessons to young gun Alexander Zverev during a hard-fought 7-6(8-6), 5-7, 6-1 win at the O2 Arena here. Titled ‘Battle of the Generations’ the Swiss maestro was a class act in the third and deciding set.
The 36-year-old six-time Champion here may have been giving away 16 years to the youngster fancied to be the game’s next major force but Federer proved in a dominant third set that, for the moment, he still remains a cut above his young pursuers. The victory ensured the 19-time Grand Slam champion a place in the last four for the 14th time in 15 appearances. It also means that Zverev and Jack Sock will now meet Thursday to decide the other qualifier from the Boris Becker group.
Sock earlier lived up to his childhood nickname of ‘Showtime’ by producing a dramatic comeback triumph 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(7-4) over the erratic Marin Cilic, who is now eliminated after two straight defeats.
“It sounds great,” Federer told the O2 Arena crowd after being told of his record of 14 semifinal appearances.
He had high praise for 20-year-old Zverev, too, after being tested for two fierce sets before finally dismantling the increasingly weary-looking World No.3. “I’m very excited for his future. He’s a wonderful guy and a great, great player.”
With no classic Nadal clash on the horizon, the duel between Federer and Zverev, who had shared the spoils in their previous four meetings, was the most eagerly anticipated of the week.
And that is exactly what happened in the first set with both players being forced to save breakpoints on a consistent basis.
In a tight tie-break, Federer came back from a shaky start at 4-0 down and rescued a set point of his own before cashing in on Zverev errors and testing the youngster’s patience until it cracked in a long rally.
When Federer cruised to a 2-0 lead in the second set for the loss of just a point, it seemed a quick kill was on the cards but two double faults in a poor service game saw Zverev back in the contest.
Looking increasingly irritated as his first serve percentage dipped to an alarming 43 per cent, the misfiring Federer was broken again at 5-6 as Zverev levelled the match.
Yet the German’s own serve, hitherto a huge weapon, also began to malfunction in the final set as Federer found a new gear. The toll of being pulled around the court by the Swiss’s variety in pace and angles began to tell on Zverev. He really had no answer to Federer’s repertoire of shots.
