Federer rallies past Soderling into final
Source: Agencies |
January 1, 2011, Saturday
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ROGER Federer rallied from a set down to beat Robin Soderling 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3 yesterday and reach the final of the World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Federer, who lost to the fifth-ranked Swede in the exhibition tournament last year, struggled with his serve in the first set and had to save several break points early on. He then made several unforced errors in the tiebreaker, handing Soderling the lead when he hit a forehand long on set point.
But the No. 2-ranked Swiss took control in the second set, breaking Soderling twice with the help of his powerful forehand. Trailing 3-5, Soderling double faulted to give Federer a set point and the Swede then sent a shot out after hitting the net cord to even the match.
In the third set, Federer broke for a 5-3 lead when Soderling missed an easy forehand, before closing out the match with an ace.
"It's always good to win," said Federer, who lost his first match in both previous editions of the tournament. "I thought I played a good match. I never got broken today. I came back and got through a tough second set and third set I felt I was playing better."
On Thursday, Tomas Berdych beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to set up a semifinal meeting with top-ranked Rafael Nadal.
"It is the just the perfect start by playing matches like this one and then the next day to play the No. 1 player in the world," said Berdych.
Berdych got off to a strong start against the error-prone Baghdatis, moving out to a 3-1 lead on his way to winning the first set. Baghdatis, the Cypriot No. 20, fought back in the second set, mixing in drop shots with a potent serve that produced several well-timed aces to level the match.
Berdych appeared to be coasting in the third, breaking Baghdatis in the sixth game and taking a 5-2 lead. But some erratic play by the Czech allowed Baghdatis back into the match. He tied the set at 5-5 with an ace, before hitting a drop shot into the net to give Berdych a 6-5 lead.
Baghdatis said he was satisfied with his performance despite the loss. "This is my first match in two months and to play a top player is not easy," he said. "But I am pretty happy with my performance, playing good tennis, moving well on court. There were some moments in the match that I played well."
Baghdatis, a former Australian Open finalist, who now heads to Brisbane, where he starts the new season, said he wants to work on his serve which "has to improve if I have to play rivals at this level."
Federer, who lost to the fifth-ranked Swede in the exhibition tournament last year, struggled with his serve in the first set and had to save several break points early on. He then made several unforced errors in the tiebreaker, handing Soderling the lead when he hit a forehand long on set point.
But the No. 2-ranked Swiss took control in the second set, breaking Soderling twice with the help of his powerful forehand. Trailing 3-5, Soderling double faulted to give Federer a set point and the Swede then sent a shot out after hitting the net cord to even the match.
In the third set, Federer broke for a 5-3 lead when Soderling missed an easy forehand, before closing out the match with an ace.
"It's always good to win," said Federer, who lost his first match in both previous editions of the tournament. "I thought I played a good match. I never got broken today. I came back and got through a tough second set and third set I felt I was playing better."
On Thursday, Tomas Berdych beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to set up a semifinal meeting with top-ranked Rafael Nadal.
"It is the just the perfect start by playing matches like this one and then the next day to play the No. 1 player in the world," said Berdych.
Berdych got off to a strong start against the error-prone Baghdatis, moving out to a 3-1 lead on his way to winning the first set. Baghdatis, the Cypriot No. 20, fought back in the second set, mixing in drop shots with a potent serve that produced several well-timed aces to level the match.
Berdych appeared to be coasting in the third, breaking Baghdatis in the sixth game and taking a 5-2 lead. But some erratic play by the Czech allowed Baghdatis back into the match. He tied the set at 5-5 with an ace, before hitting a drop shot into the net to give Berdych a 6-5 lead.
Baghdatis said he was satisfied with his performance despite the loss. "This is my first match in two months and to play a top player is not easy," he said. "But I am pretty happy with my performance, playing good tennis, moving well on court. There were some moments in the match that I played well."
Baghdatis, a former Australian Open finalist, who now heads to Brisbane, where he starts the new season, said he wants to work on his serve which "has to improve if I have to play rivals at this level."
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